Divergence of Destiny
by bolin816
Summary: *Clone Wars AU When Sidious loses the chancellorship, how will this affect his plans for the galaxy? How will the Clone Wars proceed with a new Chancellor leading the Republic and a young Jedi exiled long ago returning to the Temple?
1. Prologue

_28 BBY_

 _Republic Executive Building, Coruscant_

Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, leader of the Galactic Republic and secretly the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, sat at his desk in silent shock and anger.

He had the Senate under his control, he had been sure of it. But the impossible had happened: Palpatine had lost the reelection. To some weak, corrupt senator no less! He should've had the corrupt parties in his grasp, but in their insolence, they had nominated Orn Free Taa to be chancellor.

Palpatine had considered assassinating him, but that would raise too many questions, and the last thing the Sith Lord wanted was Jedi investigating him. No, his political career in the Republic would probably be over now. There was no possibility of the people of Naboo voting out Amidala in favor of him as their senator.

Which left him in a very precarious situation.

His apprentice, Lord Tyrannus, was preparing to mobilize the discontented star systems to form the Separatists but the whole operation was not ready quite yet. And in the matter of the clone army, the Kaminoans had informed him that several thousand clones are already ready. He suddenly sensed Free Taa approaching his office and formed his face into kind, benevolent Palpatine. The doors opened and the corrupt Twi'lek strolled into the office like he already owned it.

"Ah, Palpatine. Good to see you my friend", he said and Palpatine stood from his desk and showed off his fake smile.

"Orn Free Taa, I do hope you are doing well today"?

"Of course! It's not every day I get to become Supreme Chancellor of the Republic"!

It took all of Palpatine's control to not blast this arrogant buffoon into oblivion.

"Indeed. I wish you the best of luck in your chancellorship".

"Thank you. Do you have any plans after I assume office"? Palpatine almost scowled at that.

The man couldn't wait to get his chubby fingers on the Republic!

"I think after this I shall retire quietly in the countryside of Naboo". Free Taa nodded absently before looking at the desk, no doubt imagining himself sitting there.

"Very well my friend. I shall leave you in peace. Good day", and with that, Free Taa left Palpatine to his thoughts once again.

 _What a bloated fool_ , Palpatine thought before returning to his desk. But Free Taa brought up a good point. What was he to do? The Sith's Master Plan would continue of course, despite this setback. Palpatine scowled at the number of setbacks the Plan was suffering. From Maul's death at the hands of Kenobi, to a Jedi youngling almost discovering who he was (though that had been taken care of), and now losing the chancellorship.

Palpatine then made up his mind on what he would do: he would join the Separatists.

True, it would damage his reputation within the Republic but it was of little concern now. He would have to accelerate the Plan but it would still take years before the Separatists would be a threat.

The clones would have to proceed as planned, since he couldn't back out of the contract with the Kaminoans. Free Taa wouldn't even know about them. _Sabotage isn't out of the question though_ , Palpatine thought.

But one thing was now clear to Palpatine: the Separatists had to win the war.

Yet he still had one complication: young Skywalker. Skywalker was already proving his immense talent and him and Palpatine had formed a sort of friendship. Leaving the Republic would complicate that but he was confident that he could maintain a relationship with the boy through long distance messaging.

Yes, Palpatine surmised; he would leave the Republic, therefore he would make sure it was the Separatists who would win the upcoming war, continue to seduce young Skywalker, and try and halt clone production as much as he could. He could still make this work. He would still become ruler of the galaxy.

* * *

 _Jedi Temple, Coruscant_

14 year old Anakin Skywalker had heard the news of his friend Palpatine losing his reelection bid to some senator named Orn Free Taa. He didn't generally trust politicians much but he thought it was a shame a good man such as Palpatine wouldn't get to stay in office longer.

As he walked the halls of the Temple towards his and Obi Wan's quarters to rest from training, he noticed the stares he got from the passing Jedi. He tried to ignore them, but their stares always made him feel like they were watching him, just waiting for him to explode and destroy everything.

They've never trusted him ever since he had arrived at the Temple at 10 years old. Except for Obi Wan. For all his uptight and strict ways, he had stood by Anakin and defended him from some of the harsher critics.

 _For being peace loving monks, Jedi can sure be ruthless_ Anakin thought. He still shivers when he hears of the youngling had been exiled earlier in the year. _Like a 10 year old would ever murder someone_ Anakin thought with a shake of his head.

He reached his and Obi Wan's quarters and collapsed on his bed. Obi Wan had pushed him harder today and Anakin had a feeling that he was testing him to see how far his powers could be pushed.

He had heard whispers of him being a special Jedi, a chosen one some had called him.

His hologram communicator started beeping and Anakin sighed heavily before getting up and accepting the call. To his immense surprise, a hologram of Palpatine sprung up before him.

"Chancellor"! Anakin said in surprise before bowing to his friend.

Palpatine smiled warmly before saying: "No need for formalities Anakin. We are friends are we not?"

"O-of course sir" Anakin stuttered out before straightening himself to face the hologram. "To what do I owe the pleasure sir"?

Palpatine's face changed into a remorseful expression.

"I assume you heard I lost the reelection"?

"Yes sir, I have".

"I am saddened that my term has ended so quickly. I can only hope that Senator Free Taa will handle the position with care and dignity".

"That man can never hope to be your equal sir", Anakin angrily blurted out. Palpatine looked upon him with a warm smile.

"I appreciate the sentiment my boy, but I'm afraid loyalty counts for little in the Senate".

There was a pause before Anakin tentatively asked: "What will you do now sir"? Palpatine looked at him with a sad expression which left Anakin wondering what was happening.

"I'm afraid my boy, that I will be retiring to Naboo when Free Taa takes office".

Anakin looks up at him in surprise. "Really? That's a shame sir. You've been nothing but good to the Republic. And you've been a friend to me when no one else had" Anakin added the last part bitterly while Palpatine looked upon him with a sympathetic face.

"Fear not, my boy. I should like to keep up our correspondence. You have been as much a friend to me as I have to you". Anakin looked up at him hopefully.

"It's a shame that the Jedi don't see your full potential. You've always impressed me ever since we met Anakin. No other Jedi I have met has the drive and determination that you do". He smiled at Anakin who smiled back at him. "Thank you sir. Your praise means much to me".

"I'm afraid I must be going Anakin. Much to do, much to see to. But if you ever need my help, I will always be more than happy to oblige" Palpatine said with one last smile before disappearing.

Anakin smiled. At least he could keep in touch with his only friend as he enjoys a life of relaxation while he, Anakin, would be put through the grinder. He groaned at the thought of what Obi Wan would be putting him through.


	2. The Rise of Vode

_24 BBY_

 _Republic Senate, Coruscant_

"Order! We shall have order!" Mas Amedda shouted over the chaos of the early morning Senate session. Supreme Chancellor Orn Free Taa rubbed his face in weariness. The Senate was debating on what to do over the thousands of star systems who had suddenly decided that the Republic was no longer worthy of being a part of. Many corporations wanted to make more money off of trading without the taxes put upon them by the Republic.

"Senators! Please!" Senator Padme Amidala shouted over the chaos and the chamber gradually quieted down. Free Taa scowled at her. If he wasn't completely sure of his control over his party, then he would be worried about Amidala replacing him as Chancellor! But the reelection was not to be done until near the end of the year and the only possible candidates Free Taa had to worry about were Bana Breemu, Ask Aak, Onaconda Farr, and Armitage Vode. None of which had the influence he had, of course.

"We must hear these Separatists out! Peace would be preferable to conflict!" Amidala shouted as mocking laughs and shouts of outrage echoed in the chamber and the chaos continued.

Free Taa rolled his eyes at the typical weak minded rhetoric that sprouted from Amidala's mouth. _As if those idiots would listen to peace_ Free Taa thought. Personally, he didn't really care what happened as long as he got reelected again.

"Please! If they are foolish enough as to secede from the Republic, then they are not worth dealing with!" Mee Deechi's voice rose above the rest and Free Taa nodded his head at him.

 _Now there is a senator worth 'endorsing'_ Free Taa thought. _This has gone on long enough. Perhaps I should stop this. I do wish to go home eventually._ Free Taa rose from his comfortable seat on the podium in the center of the Senate chamber and all eyes rose to greet him.

"This has been a long and tiresome morning. Many voices have been heard today but perhaps clearer heads will prevail tomorrow."

"On the contrary…" All eyes sought out the new voice and Senator Armitage Vode's platform floated to the center of the chamber.

"I think this an issue very much worth discussing now. We must prevent more systems from leaving the Republic." Many heads nodded at this while Free Taa narrowed his eyes at him. _What is the boy playing at now_? Ever since he had been elected as Senator a few years ago, the widely regarded handsome Senator Vode had been stirring up trouble for all parties. There had been whispers that Vode had been accumulating a network of influence surprisingly fast for someone his age.

The only thing Free Taa knew for certain was that there was absolutely nothing he could dig up on the boy. Not even spies he had hired to track Vode's movements could find anything suspicious or unusual about him. Vode was a complete unknown and covered his tracks unusually well.

And Orn Free Taa did not like it. Not one bit.

"What do you propose then, Senator Vode?" Amidala politely asked him and Vode let out a small smile before shocking the Senate floor:

"I propose a Vote of No Confidence in Chancellor Free Taa's leadership."

Noise erupted all around the Senate chambers in the form of outraged cries calling for Vode's head and voices that defended him. Free Taa could hear none of it. The audacity of Vode! To call for a Vote of No Confidence now!? On an election year!? The boy was speaking again; perhaps he should listen to what he saying.

"…these Separatists could pose a threat in the near future. Without strong leadership, they could go unchecked in their activities and grow to challenge the Republic!"

There was a silence as the members of the Senate digested this. _Surely they weren't actually listening to him_! Free Taa thought angrily. Sure his theory made sense but the leaders of the Separatists were corporate businessmen! They posed no threat to anybody except themselves.

But as he looked around the chamber, the Senate was the most quiet it had been all morning as everyone considered what was at stake. Even members from his own party were casting skeptical looks at him. _Traitors_ , Free Taa thought, glaring at the members of his party. Suddenly, the Senate erupted again just as quickly as it had been silent, this time voices shouting for his removal as Chancellor.

"Order!" Mas Amedda shouted and the chamber quieted.

"We will put it to a vote in tomorrow's session. This session of the Senate is adjourned" Amedda stated before the Senate was plagued again by sound, though less intense than before. Free Taa stared down Vode as his platform returned to its place but Vode did not back down, instead giving Free Taa an icy look before leaving the chamber.

* * *

Armitage Vode strode through the halls of the Senate building in leisure, enjoying the wary looks thrown his way. On the outside, his face was a stoic mask as it always was and directed his icy gaze towards those brave enough to glare at him. He reached his office and just as he sat down in his chair after the long Senate session, Senator Amidala marched into his office.

"Ah Senator. What can I do for you?" He asked her politely but Amidala narrowed her eyes at him.

"You may dispense with the pleasantries Vode. What game are you playing with the Chancellor? You and I both know that the Separatists are no threat with Nute Gunray in charge…"

"What if he's not in charge?" Vode cut in and she scowled at him before gesturing him to continue.

"Think about it. How could someone like Nute Gunray somehow be persuading thousands of star systems to abandon the Republic, especially at such a quick rate?" Amidala crossed her arms.

"What are you implying? You don't actually believe that garbage he spewed during his trial, do you?"

Vode remembered the trial of Nute Gunray very well: he had witnessed the Nemodian name several individuals who he claimed had convinced him to blockade, then invade Naboo, a Darth Sidious and a Darth Maul.

Gunray had claimed that Sidious had threatened him and his cohorts into invading Naboo, while sending his apprentice, Darth Maul, to make sure they did as they were told. The Jedi seemed to believe Gunray, one of them even claiming that they killed the one called Maul.

"I'm only saying that Nemodians are too cowardly to do something so forward as invasion or secede from the Republic. But regardless of the threat of the Separatists, I need your help."

Amidala raised her eyebrows at that.

"You're planning to become Chancellor, aren't you?" Vode let out a little laugh before responding:

"You know me well Senator." She frowned.

"You want my and the Loyalist's support?"

"I want everyone's support. But essentially, yes." Amidala crossed her arms again and glared at Vode.

"And why should all of us vote for you to be Chancellor?" Vode got up from his chair and strode across the room to where Amidala stood. To her credit, she did not flinch or back away but instead stared defiantly at him.

"Whether or not you agree with me about the Separatists, I know you want strong leadership. The last couple of chancellors have been pitiful. Valorum and Free Taa were corrupt while Palpatine never got a chance to do any good."

"And you can?" She asked skeptically.

"Of course. I've got contacts in all of the parties. The Conservatives, the Neutrals, even your Loyalists", he said with a grin as Amidala looked shocked.

"You have people in our party? Who?"

"Nope, doesn't work that way Senator. But I know what every party wants in a Chancellor. The Conservatives want someone to be consistent, the Neutrals want someone who represents their voices, and your Loyalists want someone who is incorruptible. Someone who stays true to the Galactic Constitution."

"And you would?" She asks skeptically, yet somewhat hopefully.

"Yes I can." She eyes him for a minute before murmuring

"Let me see what we can do."

Vode inclines his head at her before she leaves, hurrying along the corridors to where the Loyalists were no doubt meeting. He sits down in his chair again before accessing his terminal to contact his entire political network, to tell them all one thing: Believe in Vode.


	3. Control

_24 BBY_

 _Geonosis_

Count Dooku, also known as Darth Tyrannus, strode through the rocky corridors of the Geonosian main hive, not pausing even as some of the Geonosians gave him strange looks. Despite Dooku's personal dislike of the Geonosians, they have proven to be very helpful towards the Separatist Alliance. Especially their leader, Poggle the Lesser.

He had come forward with plans for an enormous orbital battle station, which he claimed was capable of destroying an entire planet.

 _What a trusting fool_ , Dooku thought as he shook his head at the foolishness of Poggle. Dooku's master, Sidious, immediately fell in love with the plan and had ordered it to be constructed as soon as possible.

However, before they could start any sort of process, the plans had been stolen by a sleeper agent. Dooku still remembered the pain of the Force lightning Sidious had inflicted upon him. He had gone after the sleeper himself, not even sending Dooku. _He was very attached to those plans_ , Dooku thought. Indeed, Sidious had killed the sleeper agent of course, but not before the plans were gone. Sidious had been enraged but somewhat relieved when his contacts inside the Republic had reported that no plans of any kind had come their way. He had been relieved but still furious with no idea as to where, and who, the plans had gone to.

Dooku finally reached his master's quarters and stepped inside and felt the chills that emanated from the Dark Side.

"You bring news Tyrannus?" Sidious asked him and Dooku finally found his master through the darkness, sitting on a chair on the far side of the room.

"Not of the plans master, but of the Republic." Sidious scowled before gesturing him to continue.

"Orn Free Taa has lost the chancellorship. A Senator named Armitage Vode is now the Supreme Chancellor." He saw his master stand from his chair and walk towards Dooku.

"Yes I know. But who is this Senator? I've never heard of him when I was Chancellor."

Dooku scowled before continuing: "The most we could find of him was that he was Senator of Ukio while his predecessor stepped down for personal reasons."

"That's it? That's all you could find on him?"

"He covers his tracks very well, my lord. No one is sure of who he really is." Sidious frowned.

"Inform Tal Merrick to approach Vode on my behalf. Tell him to try bribing him. If that doesn't work, then we may need to eliminate him."

"It shall be done my master." Dooku bowed.

"Anything else, my apprentice?" "Yes my master. Sai Sircu and her clan of Nightsisters have agreed to help us destroy Mother Talzin."

Sidious smiled. "Good. Dathomir shall be the first to feel our wrath after the war begins. If left unattended, Talzin and her clan of Nightsisters could pose a threat to our plans. And our plans have suffered enough setbacks as it is."

"As you say, my master", Dooku said.

While Dooku believed Sidious in that Talzin could become a threat to them, but part of him suspected that Sidious wanted to inspect the Nightbrothers that Talzin had under her control to view their wide range of warriors. Dooku would be surprised if none of them were Force sensitive, and even more so if Sidious was not already seeking to train his replacement.

After Dooku left his chambers, Sidious let down his hood, changed his clothes, and turned on his holo transmitter. He had many people he could contact, many allies in the making, his contacts in the Republic, but there was someone who was at the top of his list.

A hologram of Anakin Skywalker sprung up before him and Sidious smiled to see the young Jedi almost becoming a man at 17 years old, becoming more powerful every day.

"Palpatine sir! Um, how are you?"

"Anakin my boy how many times must I insist you stop calling me sir?" Anakin rubbed his neck nervously.

"Sorry sir. I'll never get used to calling you just Palpatine sir. How's retirement been for you?"

"About as quiet as one can get. How goes your Jedi training my friend?" Anakin scowled.

"Master Obi Wan never seems to appreciate how much I've grown. I think he's jealous of me. And jealousy is against the Jedi Code! He tells me that I should follow the Code while he can't follow it himself!"

Palpatine inwardly smiles as Anakin lets his anger out. He had his doubts about seducing young Skywalker to the Dark Side from his holo transmitter but it seems to be working perfectly. If it didn't, he of course had a backup plan for that which would involve kidnapping Skywalker and turning him from sheer pain. _There are many ways to turn to the Dark Side_ Sidious thought gleefully to himself.

* * *

 _Republic Executive Building, Coruscant_

Vode smiled to himself as he read the reports of the new mining facilities he had ordered to be built on Kessel. The income flowing in from them was well worth it, since more income meant less loans from the Banking Clan, who have been rumored to be working with the Separatists. He frowned as he read the comments directed towards him from Senators unhappy about his being elected as Chancellor. Surprisingly, members on all parties have been defending him while even more surprising was Padme Amidala defending him.

While she agreed to vote for him, and get the rest of her party to vote for him, she still seemed skeptical of him. _Apparently I have been mistaken_ Vode thought to himself before a hologram of his aide popped up in front of him.

"Forgive me for the interruption sir, but Senator Merrick wishes to see you."

Vode frowned. That was odd. Tal Merrick was one of the quieter Senators, especially since he represented Mandalore. To his knowledge, Vode did not think that he had ever directly met the man. Which made this request all the more strange.

"Send him in" he said as he unconsciously fingered his blaster pistol that lay under his desk. The doors to his office opened and the man in question, Senator Merrick, came strolling through as if there wasn't a care in the world.

"Chancellor Vode, how are you this evening?" _His voice sounds like a mouse,_ Vode idly thought before responding:

"Good enough Senator. I must admit, I am surprised by this visit. As I recall, you and I have never really been on speaking terms before."

Merrick laughed politely. "Always straight to the point. Come now Chancellor. Just because I voted for Free Taa to stay in office doesn't mean I don't like what you're doing. Turns out, someone else does too."

Vode raised his eyebrows.

"Oh? And who might that be?"

"Let's just say he a good friend of mine. A friend willing to help you with your chancellorship."

Vode's eyebrows raised even further. _A bribe? He is a bold one isn't he_?

Regardless, Vode decided to play along. "And how would he do that?" Merrick shifted himself.

"Well, he is willing to pay you a handsome fee if you would allow him to run the day to day operations of your chancellorship."

"And how would this work? I don't even know this person."

"He would contact you, of course. After you received your payments though."

Vode frowned. "I thought he might contact me himself and try to allow him to have control of my offices."

"Eh, he's a very….private person." Vode noticed that Merrick grew uncomfortable while discussing his client. _And perhaps a bit of fear_?

Vode wondered before returning his attention to Merrick who was waiting on his answer.

"I'm afraid I must decline, Senator Merrick. You see, while the rest of the Senate may hold themselves to a low standard, I am no such person. I hold myself to a higher standard than the rest of our esteemed 'colleagues'."

Merrick glared at him. "So that will be a no then?"

"I would've thought that was obvious." Merrick scowled and rose from his seat.

"Such a shame. My friend was very anxious to do business with you."

Vode scowled back. "Oh I'm sure he was."

With that, Merrick quickly left his office, no doubt to contact his 'friend' about Vode. He had no doubt assassination was in his future. _No matter_ he thought before turning his chair to stare at the skyscrapers of Coruscant. _I am well prepared for them_.


	4. Reunions

_22 BBY_

 _Chancellor's Office, Coruscant_

Supreme Chancellor Armitage Vode eyed the Jedi that sat before him in his office with some distaste. He had never particularly liked the Jedi even before what he called the 'Incident'.

His eyes scanned those that had attended this meeting. Yoda, the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order, at least 800 years old. _And talked backwards for some reason_ Vode thought to himself.

Mace Windu, a Korun that hailed from Haruun Kal, apparently one of the more uptight Jedi masters.

Ki Adi Mundi, who hailed from Cerea and had five wives to compensate for his species' low birthrate. _Poor bastard_ Vode thought before further examining the other Jedi in the room.

Plo Koon, a Kel Dor from Dorin, apparently has a niece in the Order, and seemed to be particularly attached to a young Togrutan youngling.

Kit Fisto, a Nautolan with a Padawan named Nahdar Vebb. _And keeps damn smiling_ Vode angrily thought.

Luminara Unduli and her apprentice, Barriss Offee, both Mirialan and both believers of old Jedi traditions.

"The Senate has voted in favor of the Military Creation Act, which is somewhat of a relief to me due to the ever increasing star systems leaving the Republic. I've already set up recruitment centers on various Republic worlds in anticipation for what might come."

"You'd prefer going to war?" Plo Koon asked him skeptically as Vode glared at him. "Of course not! I hold out hope that my negotiations will come through but the Separatists are being unusually stubborn. They may be preparing for a first strike."

Mace Windu leaned forward. "You must realize there aren't enough Jedi to protect the Republic. We're keepers of the peace, not soldiers."

Vode scoffed. "Of course I know that. That's why I pressured the Senate to pass the Military Creation Act." He turned his eyes to Yoda, who had been silent during the entire exchange. "What about you, Master Yoda? What do you think of this situation?"

Yoda frowned. "The Dark Side clouds the Separatists completely. Impossible to truly see them, it is." A hologram of Vode's aide suddenly sprung up. "The Loyalist Committee has arrived, Your Honor." "Send them in."

Vode rose from his chair. "We will discuss this matter later." He walked over to the party to see Senator Padme Amidala, looking as healthy as ever. He had heard, of course, of the explosion on her landing pad that wiped out her security and one of her handmaidens.

"Senator Amidala. Your tragedy on the landing platform, terrible. Seeing you alive, brings warm feeling to my heart", Yoda said and Vode nodded in agreement. Yoda was one of the only Jedi whom he actually respected.

"Do you have any idea who was behind this attack?" She asked and it was Mace Windu who responded. "Our intelligence points to disgruntled spice miners on the moons of Naboo." Vode scoffed inwardly. Where did the Jedi get their intelligence? Amidala would be a fool to believe that.

"I believe that Count Dooku was behind it." She stated and the Jedi grew quiet. Vode smirked, both at the Jedi and Amidala. He had told her that Gunray was probably not the one in charge of the secessionists and he had been proven right. Though a former Jedi? That was too good to be true.

 _They aren't as holy as they would like to believe_ he thought to himself before Ki-Adi Mundi spoke. "He is a political idealist. Not a murderer." "You know milady, Count Dooku was once a Jedi. He couldn't assassinate anyone. It's not in his character." Mace Windu stated before Vode spoke.

"I think you greatly underestimate your dear old Count. Remember all those assassination attempts on me?" He had expected it, of course. After Tal Merrick had tried to bribe him, probably on behalf of Dooku, assassins from various backgrounds had tried to eliminate him.

From the sloppy, poisoning his food types to the blaster wielding ones. He could swear one of those assassins was a Mandalorian. _Someone really wanted me dead_ he thought as his eyes wandered over to Orn Free Taa.

The corrupt, former Chancellor had managed to buy back his seat in the Senate and no doubt had a grudge against Vode. But he locked eyes with a green Twi'lek female next to Free Taa, Supi, who caught his eyes and made the barest of motions with her head. _No,_ Vode thought, _if Free Taa had sent assassins after me, I would've known_.

"For certain Senator", Yoda started to say. "In grave danger, you are." Vode suddenly had an idea. "Master Jedi, may I suggest that the Senator be placed under your protection?"

"Do you really think that's a wise decision in these stressful times?" He heard Bail Organa speak before Amidala spoke as well. "Chancellor, if I may comment, I do not believe that…" "The situation is that serious?"

He turned to address Amidala. "No but I do Senator. I realize all too well that additional security might be disruptive for you. Perhaps someone you're familiar with? An old friend like Master Kenobi?" Mace Windu spoke up. "That's possible. He just returned from a border dispute on Ansion."

He turned to bow to Senator Amidala who hadn't voiced her objections yet. "I will have Obi Wan report to you immediately milady." "Thank you, Master Windu." But Windu wasn't done quite yet.

"What about you Chancellor? We've tried assigning Jedi to you in the past but you've always refused." "I'm always prepared to defend myself, Master Windu. And besides, I have security of own, thank you."

And with that, the Loyalists and the Jedi turned to leave his office. Vode frowned when he caught sight of the Gungan aide to Senator Amidala. Binks, if he recalled correctly. That one had always made him uncomfortable. Everyone told him that Binks was harmless and that he was a buffoon, which he was of course, but something about his eyes when he looked at Vode made him uneasy.

 _Jedi Temple_

Obi Wan Kenobi landed down their shuttle on the Jedi Temple's landing pad. He looked to his side to see his impatient apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, practically jumping up and down on his seat.

"Something the matter Anakin?" He asked before Anakin stopped and seemed embarrassed at himself. "Sorry master. Just glad to be back." Obi Wan raised his eyebrows at Anakin. "Indeed. Ansion did take longer than we wanted of course." Anakin nodded before frowning. "Hey Master, is that Master Windu and Yoda waiting for us?"

Obi Wan looked at Anakin before looking out their viewport. "It appears so. We may have another mission already." Anakin sighed before exiting the shuttle along with Obi Wan. Anakin and Obi Wan felt the cool Coruscant air hit them, with Anakin sighing again. "Wish we didn't have to leave Coruscant again."

"I know Anakin. But it must be something important." They approached the two Masters and bowed to them. "Welcome back from Ansion, Obi Wan, young Skywalker." "Heard your reports, we did. A new assignment, we have for you", Yoda said. "Of course Masters", Obi Wan answered for them.

"Nearly assassinated, Senator Amidala was when she arrived for the Senate meeting. Assigned to protect her, you two have been. Join her in her apartment you shall and help Captain Typho with the security measures."

"Yes masters", Obi Wan and Anakin bowed again, Obi Wan not noticing Anakin brighten up at the mention of Senator Amidala.

 _Senate Apartment Complex_

The elevator taking both Obi Wan and Anakin was filled with a comfortable silence, something which Obi Wan did not get much anymore. _Anakin has never been this quiet before,_ as Obi Wan noticed Anakin adjusting his robes.

"You seem a little on edge" Obi Wan commented. "Not at all", Anakin quickly responded. "I haven't felt you this tense since we fell into that nest of Gundarks." Anakin scoffed. "You fell into that nightmare Master and I rescued you. Remember?"

"Oh. Yes" Obi Wan said before chuckling lightly with Anakin. He looked at Anakin again and noticed his nervousness. "You're sweating. Relax. Take a deep breath" he advised. Anakin looked over at Obi Wan. "I haven't seen her in ten years Master."

The doors to the elevator opened and both grimaced as they saw who was standing outside to greet them. "Obi? Obi! Meesa so happy so seeing yousa!" The annoying, pathetic lifeform known as Jar Jar Binks shouted loudly as he shook Obi Wan's hand enthusiastically. "Good to see you again Jar Jar" Obi Wan said politely before Jar Jar led them into the penthouse.

"Senator Padme", Jar Jar cried rushing into the apartment. "Lookie, lookie, tis the Jedi arriving." Padme turned around from where she had been gazing out the window and walked across the living room to greet them. Obi Wan bowed to her before greeting her. "It's a great pleasure to see you again milady." She smiled. "It's been far too long, Master Kenobi."

She then looked over to where Anakin stood. "Ani?" He grinned and stepped forward. "My goodness you've grown." "So have you. Grown more beautiful I mean."

Obi Wan cringed inwardly before Anakin realized his mistake. "Well, for a Senator I mean" he stuttered before Padme laughed lightly. "Ani, you'll always be that little boy I knew on Tatooine" she said before moving over to her couch. Anakin flinched but followed Obi Wan nonetheless to sit opposite Padme.

"Our presence here will be invisible milady, I can assure you." "I'm Captain Tyhpo of Her Majesty's security service" the man in the eyepatch said and stood at attention. "Queen Jamilla has been informed of your assignment. I am grateful you're here Master Kenobi."

He looked over at Padme. "The situation is more dangerous than the Senator will admit." "I don't need more security, I need answers. I want to know who's trying to kill me", she said. "We're here to protect you Senator, not to start an investigation" Obi Wan said before Anakin chimed in. "We will find out who's trying to kill you Padme. I promise you."

Obi Wan stared at Anakin. "We will not exceed our mandate, my young Padawan learner", he said sharply. "I meant in the interest of protecting her Master, of course", Anakin said and Obi Wan seemed satisfied with his answer.

"Perhaps your presence alone will draw out my attacker" Padme said before standing up. "Now if you will excuse me, I will retire." She walked towards the back end of the apartment.

Obi Wan stood up to discuss security arrangements with Captain Typho as Anakin talked with Jar Jar. "Meesa bursting with happiness in seeing you again, Ani!" Anakin stared at Padme's retreating form with a hint of sadness. "She hardly even recognized me Jar Jar. She's forgotten me completely." Obi Wan approached the pair of them. "You're focusing on the negative Anakin. She was pleased to see us" Obi Wan reassured him.


	5. Coruscant Chase

_22 BBY_

 _Senate Apartment Complex_

"Captain Typho has more than enough men downstairs. No assassin will try that way. Any activity up here?" Obi Wan asked as he approached Anakin in the penthouse. "Quiet as a tomb" he replied.

"I don't like just waiting here for something to happen to her." Obi Wan noticed Anakin rubbing his eyes wearily. "You look tired", he commented.

Anakin lowered his eyes before responding. "I don't sleep well anymore." "Because of your mother?" Obi Wan softly asked, feeling concerned for his young apprentice.

Even though Anakin always got on Obi Wan's nerves, due to either his impatience or his constant questioning of Obi Wan and his teachings, he was like a son to him. _Qui Gon believed in him_ Obi Wan thought sadly as Anakin nodded before shaking his head in confusion.

"I don't know why I keep dreaming of her." _And I should too._ Obi Wan approached Anakin cautiously, unsure of what he suspects is true. "Do you mind telling me what happens in your dreams?" Anakin looked at him oddly before sighing and responding: "She's in pain."

Obi Wan widened his eyes at his apprentice, taking a step back in awe. Anakin looked confused. "Master? What's wrong?" Obi Wan shook his head, realizing he was probably making the boy nervous.

"Sorry Anakin, it's just that we may need to take your dreams up with Master Yoda. You're not in trouble, young one", he added as Anakin looked ready to interrupt. "Is it important?" Obi Wan nodded eagerly. "Very. What you have is-"

Obi Wan suddenly felt a warning through the Force and turned towards Padme's room along with Anakin. "I sense it too" before running into her bed chambers. Anakin was in the lead and soon leaped onto her bed to expertly dismember two Kohouns that had tried to poison her.

Padme awoke just as Obi Wan noticed a droid hovering outside her window. He bolted towards the droid as it tried to leave the scene but Obi Wan was faster. He jumped out the window and grabbed onto the droid as it raced off towards whoever had programmed it.

 _MAYBE THIS WASN'T SUCH A GOOD IDEA_ Obi Wan thought as a car nearly ran into them, the passengers giving him strange looks. He flailed in the air trying to avoid incoming traffic, but the droid was maneuvering so smoothly Obi Wan wondered if it even knew he was hanging onto it.

 _I'm glad Anakin isn't here to see this_ Obi Wan thought before he noticed the droid slowing down, nearing their definition. He squinted his eyes to see a figure standing by flashing advertisements next to a speeder.

 _The assassin_ Obi Wan briefly thought before the droid exploded and he was sent free falling through the sky. He felt Anakin through his Force bond with him and quickly located him piloting a yellow speeder beneath him.

He angled his fall to land on the front seat but instead gasped as he almost missed the speeder and landed on the rear. Obi Wan climbed carefully towards Anakin and finally climbed onto the front seat. "What took you so long?" He asked, still slightly out of breath.

"Well you know, Master, I couldn't find a speeder I really liked" Anakin commented before Obi Wan noticed the assassin's speeder racing through the sky. "There he is" Obi Wan said, pointing towards the other speeder. "….with the open cockpit and the right speed capabilities" Anakin continued as if not interrupted at all, but still angling towards the assassin.

"You spend as much time practicing your saber techniques as you do your wits you would rival Master Yoda as a swordsman." "I thought I already did" Anakin cheekily replied. "Only in your mind, my very young apprentice."

The assassin weaved through the incoming traffic then dived straight downwards towards the lower levels of Coruscant. Anakin quickly dived as well, firing the boosters in order to keep the assassin in his sight. As they drove down, Obi Wan began feeling very uncomfortable and nauseous.

Soon a giant ship came into view and Obi Wan got more nervous. "Pull up Anakin!" He cried as his apprentice laughed and kept going towards it. "Pull up!" Anakin finally complied and brought them up sharply, which made Obi Wan throw up in his mouth a bit.

"You know I don't like it when you do that", he wearily told Anakin. "Sorry master. I forgot you don't like flying." He rolled his eyes. "I don't mind flying but what you're doing is suicide." They noticed the assassin turn left sharply into a tunnel but Anakin flew by it. "Where are you going? He went that way", Obi Wan questioned, pointing towards the tunnel.

"Master, if we keep up this chase any longer, that creep is gonna end up deep fried. Personally, I'd like to find out who he is and who he's working for. This is a shortcut. I think", Anakin finished uneasily as Obi Wan rolled his eyes. They kept flying for a short while before they reached an intersection. And the assassin was nowhere to be found.

"Well you've lost him", Obi Wan snapped, crossing his arms. "I'm deeply sorry Master", Anakin sarcastically as he looked under the speeder. "That was some shortcut Anakin. He went completely the other way. Once again you've proven-" "If you'll excuse me", Anakin cut in as he jumped from the speeder into the incoming traffic below.

Obi Wan merely poked his head out from the speeder, watching him fall. "I hate it when he does that", he muttered and gunned the speeder to follow his apprentice. He saw him fall onto the assassin's speeder as it sped away from him. _Well how about that,_ Obi Wan thought before he noticed Anakin's lightsaber fly out of his grasp.

Obi Wan caught it in midair and continued to follow both Anakin and the assassin. He saw the other speeder start to descend towards the Entertainment District and finally crash. He flew over where he could see Anakin chasing the assassin who ran into a club and parked the speeder next to it. "Anakin!" He shouted and he saw Anakin finally come to a stop outside the club.

"She went into the club Master!" Anakin said, out of breath after chasing the assassin. "Patience", Obi Wan calmly advised. "Use the Force. Think." "Yes Master." Obi Wan caught his apprentice before he go running into the club. "He went in there to hide, not to run." "Yes Master." Obi Wan held out Anakin's lightsaber to him, who looked surprised he had lost it at all.

"Next time try not to lose this." "Yes Master." "This weapon is your life", Obi Wan emphasized, as Anakin took it from him and they walked into the club. "I try Master." "Do or do not, Anakin. There is no try." Anakin looked thoughtful at that as they stood at the front of the club and searched for their assassin. "Do you see him?" Obi Wan asked.

"I think he is a she. And I think she's a changeling." Obi Wan thought for a moment before instructing Anakin. "In that case be extra careful. Go and find her." He walked off to the bar before Anakin shouted: "Where are you going Master?" "For a drink."

And with that, he left Anakin there and went to the bar, and ordered some Corellian nectar. "You wanna buy some death sticks?" The man next to him replied and Obi Wan spared him a glance before waving his hand. "You don't want to sell me death sticks." "I don't want to sell you death sticks", the man next to him repeated. "You want to go home and rethink your life." "I want to go home and rethink my life" he said and got up from his chair.

Obi Wan nodded at him. A short while later, he could sense the assassin coming up behind him, no doubt drawing her blaster. He waited a bit before drawing his lightsaber and cutting her blaster arm off. She cried out in pain before collapsing on the floor.

The club patrons gasped and everyone became quiet as Obi Wan helped her up. "Jedi business. Go back to your drinks", Anakin told the crowd and he and Obi Wan went out back with the assassin. Obi Wan set her down on the ground gently and began his interrogation.

"Do you know who it was you were trying to kill?" "It was a Senator from Naboo", the assassin grunted. "And who hired you?" She stared at Obi Wan. "It was just a job." Anakin leaned in. "Who hired you? Tell us." The assassin was silent.

"Tell us now!" Anakin demanded. She hesitated before saying: "It was a bounty hunter called-" She was interrupted as a dart slammed into her neck. Anakin and Obi Wan looked behind them to see an armored man fly off with a jetpack. They looked back towards the assassin who was turning back to her original form as a Clawdite.

"Sleemo…" were her last words as her head fell onto the ground. Obi Wan reached towards her neck and pulled out the dart that ended her. "Toxic dart", he muttered before glancing back to where the armored man had been before.


	6. Respect

_22 BBY_

 _Jedi Temple_

Yoda sat in his chair in the Jedi Council room, studying the two Jedi that stood before him.

Obi Wan Kenobi had come a long way from the quiet, shy apprentice of Qui Gon Jinn. He had taken up the young Skywalker as his own apprentice and became a Master not long afterwards. _A clear future, he has_ Yoda thought of Obi Wan before turning his attention to Skywalker.

The supposed Chosen One. Yoda was still not sure what to think of Anakin Skywalker, even after he had been at the Temple for 19 years. True, the boy had raw talent and skill but also had a quick temper, something that has gotten him into much trouble over the years. Yoda could sense the boy's future was uncertain, clouded. He wasn't sure what that meant himself.

"My Padawan and I chased Senator Amidala's assassin into the underlevels of Coruscant and learned that she was a changeling hired by a fellow bounty hunter. She was killed with this" Obi Wan held out a strange dart to the Council. Yoda leaned forward to better examine it. "Seen that kind of dart before, I have not." "I'll ask around, see if anybody knows what this is", Obi Wan admitted.

"The search for who hired the assassin will be given to you, Obi Wan", Mace said. "And Senator Amidala? She will still need protection." "To your Padawan, that task has been given", Yoda informed Obi Wan who looked surprised but didn't question it.

"Anakin", Mace said glancing at Anakin, "escort Senator Amidala back to her homeworld of Naboo. But don't use registered transport. Travel as refugees." Anakin inclined his head respectfully.

"Yes Masters." "May the Force be with you", Mace said and they bowed.

But as Anakin started towards the exit, Obi Wan stayed where he was, much like his master ten years before. "More to say, have you Obi Wan?" "Yes, Master Yoda" Obi Wan said though Anakin shot a confused look at his master.

"Last night, before we chased the assassin, Anakin told me that he has had nightmares of his mother. Of her in pain. How often do these occur, Anakin?" Anakin, looking slightly shocked and hurt that Obi Wan brought the subject of his nightmares to the Council's attention, looked down. "Every night", he said softly. "Do they get more vivid with each passing day?" Anakin didn't look up. "Yes."

Yoda raised his eyebrows at that, suspecting what Obi Wan would say next. "I believe", Obi Wan said, turning his gaze back to the gathered masters, "that these dreams are Force visions." There was a silence in the Council chambers as the masters digested what Obi Wan suggested. Yoda, as well as most of the council, knew that Force visions were not given to just anybody.

Thousands of years ago, in the days of the Old Republic, Force visions were common to almost every Jedi. But over the years, the ability to see the future diminished to only a select few. _A Visionary, young Skywalker is_ Yoda thought to himself before sharing a glance with Mace.

"What do you wish us to do, young Skywalker?" He asked Anakin this as he raised his eyes from the floor to meet Yoda's eyes. Obi Wan watched with interest. "Masters", Anakin began but faltered under the eyes of the Council. He took a deep breath.

"Masters, I humbly request that you send someone to see if my mother is alright. I see her in pain, and her pain is my pain. Please", he added the last part softly. For a while, there was silence. The Council members all looked to Yoda to make the final decision, and he was studying Skywalker intently to see his true sincerity.

When he saw it, he made his decision. "Send someone we will, young Skywalker. Go to your assignments, you should. May the Force be with you", he finished and Anakin and Obi Wan bowed before exiting the Council chambers. _Changing, the Force is_ , Yoda thought as he felt ripples echo through the Force. _A good decision, we have made_.

"Master! Wait!" Anakin shouted as he raced after Obi Wan who was nearing the Temple's labs to examine the dart. He turned to face Anakin as he ran over, hands on his knees out of breath.

"Master…..why did you….do that?" He glanced up at Obi Wan who put a hand on his shoulder with a small smile. "Your dreams aren't just dreams, Anakin. You have the gifts of a Visionary, someone who can see the future." Anakin frowned. "I thought the future was always in motion?"

Obi Wan smiled and nodded his approval. "Very good, Padawan. But Visionaries receive visions from the Force, whether as a warning or a prophecy. I believe yours was a warning", he said as Anakin frowned at Obi Wan.

"I meant more along the lines of why would you do that for me? I thought you would've passed them off as nothing more than dreams?" Obi Wan stared at Anakin sadly.

"I never meant to give you the impression that you could never confide in me, Anakin. All this time we've been together, I'll admit I've never truly believed in you. But Qui Gon believed in you", he said as Anakin lowered his eyes in sadness at the mention of Qui Gon.

"And now I'm going to start believing in you too." Anakin looked up sharply at Obi Wan. There was a long pause as both men stared at each other, finding new respect for each other.

"You better get going. It's not wise to keep the Senator waiting", Anakin blushed at Obi Wan's comment and Obi Wan laughed lightly. "Right….yeah. And Obi Wan? Thanks", Anakin told Obi Wan sincerely as he nodded and the two parted ways. Anakin reached into his robes and brought out his comlink to inform Captain Typho of the upcoming security arrangements.

Once he was done with that, Anakin noticed he was nearby the training room where younglings over the age of ten but younger than fifteen were training. He poked his head in to see an assortment of different species practicing saber techniques.

One youngling in particular caught his eye: an orange skinned, blue eyed Togruta sparring with another youngling. Anakin had dreamed of becoming a Jedi Knight ever since he was a little boy, but he had never actually considered taking an apprentice before. As he watched the young Togruta girl gain an edge over her opponent, he realized maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing to pass on what he has learned.

 _But I gotta pass my own Trials first,_ he thought as he departed from the Temple to meet Senator Amidala, not noticing the young Togruta girl watch him leave with interest.

 _Kamino_

CT-6908 sat in the mess hall with his fellow brothers, eating his gruel with little enthusiasm. _I hate this place_ , he thought as he glanced around the all too perfect white of Kamino. It made him annoyed to no end.

He couldn't wait to get out onto the front lines, fighting whatever enemy the Republic threw his way. _If we even get to fight_ , he thought gloomily. The Kaminoans had created him and his brothers to fight for the Republic but the official word was that they were on 'standby'.

6908 knew the Kaminoans were worried; they had not received any sort of communication from the Republic in a decade, which made them worried that the Republic would never contact them.

Especially since, almost 6 years ago, their clone pods were being sabotaged. His eyes grew in anger as he thought of the thousands of brothers that never had the chance to live. The clone army now numbered in a mere pitiful 500,000 due to the sabotage. _When I find out who did that, I'll break their_ neck, 6908 thought angrily. He had already been born by the time that the sabotage started, which meant he was in prime fighting condition.

But he always got in trouble, whether that be with his fellow brothers or the Kaminoans themselves. He grinned at the time he had fought Jango Fett himself. He lost, of course, but the fight made him respect the man, despite his profession. _Command should be earned, not forced,_ he thought as he looked up to the viewing ports to see the Prime Minister, Lama Su, talking with someone. _Is that…a Jedi?_ He wondered.

He looked to his other brothers who were too preoccupied with their gruel to even notice. 6908 rolled his eyes; while he loved his brothers, they could be more than a bit thick sometimes. He got up from his seat and crossed the mess hall to where clones grabbed their armor.

He grabbed his standard armor and quickly exited the main assembly area. He nodded to those who passed him by in the corridor. _You'd think they'd have better security_ , he thought sarcastically before he noticed the Prime Minister's aide, Taun We if he remembered correctly, and the bearded man walk in front of him. They stopped in front of an apartment door 6908 recognized as Jango Fett's.

 _I wonder what they're up to_ , he thought as the door opened and the spawn of Fett appeared. No one really knew much about the younger clone; he kept to himself often.

He passed by the apartment, not wanting to seem suspicious, and looked behind him to see the door close behind them. He groaned in frustration. _Where's a good fight when you need one?_ He thought to himself before heading down to his living quarters with the rest of his squad.


	7. Always In Motion, Is The Future

_22 BBY_

 _Tatooine_

Master Luminara Unduli watched the shuttle carrying her and her Padawan, Barriss Offee, descend into orbit of the dusty planet known as Tatooine. The Council had decided to send her and Barriss to discover the truth of young Skywalker's visions.

Personally, she thought there might be some truth to his vision but most likely, it was just paranoia playing on him. Nevertheless, she and Barriss were there to investigate and to do so, she would need to focus.

Luminara had received information about Skywalker and his life growing up on the desert world, from the Council and Master Kenobi. She found it appalling that he had grown up a slave and changed her preconception of him.

"Master? We're approaching the space port", Barriss informed her and she looked out the window to view Mos Espa. _What a dirty settlement_ , she thought to herself as the ship set down gently.

"So we're here to find Anakin's mother?" Barriss timidly asked Luminara as they stepped out of the shuttle and started making their way into the settlement. "Yes Padawan. Master Kenobi mentioned someone named Watto who used to own Anakin and should still own his mother." "That's awful Master. I can't imagine anyone living like that", Barriss said sadly.

"It is an unfortunate fate for one to suffer. Master Kenobi only knew of Watto, not his location so we should ask around." They walked up to a Rodian who was leaning against a storefront, watching them.

"Excuse me?" She said politely. "What do you want?" the Rodian asked rudely, examining Luminara and Barriss' figures. She twisted slightly to show the lightsaber on her hip and the Rodian let out a small shout of surprise. "What can I help you with, eh Jedi?"

"We're looking for a slaver known as Watto", she said. The Rodian swallowed. "I know him", he said before he pointed down the street. "Owns a junk dealership down the road." He then gave Luminara directions to reach the shop.

"Thank you", Luminara replied before she and Barriss turned around and walked away. "Those men are eyeing us Master", Barriss said fearfully. "I know. Be mindful of your fear Barriss. You are a Jedi," she reassured Barriss before they reached the dealership, where an old Toydarian was floating above the ground.

"Excuse me? Are you Watto?" Luminara asked. The Toydarian glanced up. "Who's asking?" he asked them. "I am Jedi Master Luminara Unduli and this is my apprentice Barriss Offee. We have come to speak with Shmi Skywalker." Watto's wings fluttered.

"Oh, uh, I see. I can't help you there though," he said. "And why not?" "I, uh, sold her." "Sold her? To whom?" "Years ago to someone called Lars. Least I think his name was Lars. I heard he freed her and married her," said Watto.

"Where are they now?" Luminara asked. "Oh, long ways away from here. Somewhere on the other side of Mos Eisley, I think." "Do you know their exact location? I would like to know," Luminara said. Watto was silent for a long moment. "Ah sure, let me go get my books. Far be it from me to refuse a Jedi," he said before he turned around and flew into the store.

"Master? What exactly are we doing? She's been freed now", Barriss asked confused. "We must be thorough, my young apprentice. Just because she has been freed does not mean she is alright", Luminara replied before Watto flew back before giving them the address to the Lars homestead.

Barriss guided the landspeeder toward the location of the Lars homestead before glancing at her Master as Luminara closed her eyes. "Do you sense anything Master?" She asked glancing at Luminara. "I sense much pain…..coming from ahead of us", she said pointing towards the direction of the homestead.

Barriss nodded and accelerated the speeder towards the homestead, where they saw a small group of people, one of them on the ground. Barriss realized with horror that the one on the ground had a bloody stump for a leg and was crying out in pain.

They rushed out of the speeder, heading towards the man in pain. "…I'm sorry, Dad. There's nothing we can do", the tallest figure said, and Barriss could see that they were all human.

"What's happened here?" Luminara quickly asked as she brought out medical supplies she had with her. The one on the ground briefly glanced at them before shutting his eyes in pain. "Shmi…gone….Tusken Raiders…..took her…tried to go after her….failed", he said in between breaths. "What's your name?" Barriss asked gently as Luminara tried to stop the bleeding of his leg. "Cliegg….Cliegg Lars", he said and Luminara and Barriss looked at each other.

The other two humans crouched beside them, holding Cliegg's hand trying to ease the pain. "I'm Owen", the other man said, "And this is my girlfriend Beru", he introduced the girl who smiled wearily at them. "Mr. Lars, does this Shmi that you mentioned happen to be Shmi Skywalker", Luminara asked as Cliegg looked at her.

"That was her maiden name, yes. Do…..you know her?" he asked them. "Not quite, but our mission depends on finding her." "They took her to their camp, a few hours from here. I know where it is."

He told them where the Tusken's camp was before pleading: "Save her. Please. Don't worry about me." Barriss was conflicted. "Master, we can't leave him like this." Luminara shook her head. "I'm afraid we must, Padawan. It seems Anakin's vision was correct. We must hurry."

She turned to Owen and Beru who were still by Cliegg's side, watching them curiously. "Can you take care of him?" "Of course," Owen nodded. Luminara and Barriss then ran to their landspeeder and raced off towards the Judland Wastes.

They drove for what seemed like forever to Barriss before Luminara pulled their landspeeder over. "I think we're here", she said. "How can you be sure?" Barriss asked her. "I can sense lifeforms beneath the cliff."

They climbed out and hid behind a rock to see a Tusken camp lit up. Barriss had read up on them, of course, before leaving Coruscant. She had to admit, she was little nervous facing these creatures. She had read horrifying stories on what they did to their prisoners.

Remembering what Luminara had told her, Barriss took a deep breath and released her fear into the Force. "Is Shmi there, Master?" she asked and Luminara nodded.

They dropped from the cliff and onto the soft sand, not making a noise. They snuck around the outskirts of the camp, reaching out with their sense for Shmi Skywalker. They located her presence in one of the mud huts, outside of which sat two guards. Fortunately, they were distracted by two massiffs wrestling with each other.

Luminara quickly ignited her green lightsaber, cutting a hole into the hut and deactivating it just as quickly. Her and Barriss kicked down the hole and climbed inside the hut.

There, they found an unconscious woman with numerous bruises and cuts on her, strapped to a pole. Barriss and Luminara exchanged a look before untying her and setting her gently on the ground. Barriss reached her hand to examine the woman's injures.

"It's pretty bad, Master. But not as bad as it could've been," she said and the woman opened her eyes slowly. "Who….who are you?" she asked softly. "We're Jedi, miss, but right now we need you to be silent. We're getting you out of here", Barriss replied and the woman widened her eyes before nodding in understanding.

"Can you stand?" The woman nodded and they helped her to her feet before climbing out of the hut and started making their way back to the landspeeder.

They jumped back onto the cliff, with the woman holding on for dear life, and climbed onto the landspeeder. "You're Shmi Skywalker, correct?" Luminara asked as soon as they were away from the camp and the woman nodded. "Yes, I am. You mentioned you were Jedi", Shmi said.

"I am Luminara Unduli and this is my apprentice, Barriss Offee. We were sent here to rescue you", Luminara explained as Shmi looked confused. "Rescue me? How did you know I was in danger?"

"It was your son, actually. He began having dreams about you", Barriss cut in and Shmi's eye widened.

"My son? Ani? He had dreams about me in danger", she asked in confusion and both nodded. "How is he? Anakin? Is Master Qui Gon alright as well?" Luminara and Barriss both looked at each other and sighed.

"Your son is alright but Qui Gon was murdered ten years ago, Shmi. His apprentice, Obi Wan, took Anakin as his apprentice soon afterwards", Luminara explained as Shmi swallowed.

"I'm sorry to hear that. He was a good man. He freed my son from slavery." Barriss nodded and with that, they drove Shmi Skywalker back to the Lars, to her new family.


	8. Mysteries of Kamino

_22 BBY_

 _Dantooine_

The Force was changing.

He couldn't quite sense what had caused the change, which was odd. He was more in tune with the Force than the fools of the Jedi Council, which was especially amusing considering that he was younger than most senior Padawans.

 _Is it...hiding something from me?_ He wondered before he stood from his meditation spot in the old Jedi Enclave and looked up to the sky.

It had been such a long time since he had been off of Dantooine. _It's been almost a decade now, hasn't it?_ He thought sadly to himself. He continued his long walk back to the ancient estate he lived at, lost in his own thoughts.

 _Kamino_

Obi Wan walked into Jango Fett's apartment, ahead of the imposing Kaminoan, Taun We, and behind the unaltered clone of Fett, Boba.

"Dad! Taun We is here", he said before suspiciously glancing back at Obi Wan. He walked towards the window to glance at the rainy ocean of Kamino. He heard a door open and he turned around to see the man himself.

"Jango. Welcome back. Was your trip productive?" Taun We asked him as Jango adjusted his sleeves. "Fairly", he replied, sizing up Obi Wan.

"This is Jedi Master Obi Wan Kenobi", Taun We introduced. "He's come to check on our progress." Jango raised an eyebrow at that.

"Come about the sabotage, Master Jedi?" he asked Obi Wan who frowned at that. "Sabotage? What do you mean?" Jango grimaced.

"About 7 years ago, our clone banks came under attack. About half of the clones in production died in still birth and the facilities are still undergoing repair. I was sent in to try and find out who did it."

"Did you ever find out who it was?" Jango shook his head. "No. I only caught a glimpse of him, and he had a red lightsaber", he said, staring at Obi Wan, whose eyes widened. He remembered the last person he encountered who had a red lightsaber: Darth Maul, who was now dead.

He had spoken with Master Yoda and Mace Windu about him, and they agreed that Maul was just an apprentice, a pawn in a much larger game. _We never did find the master_ , Obi Wan thought to himself before turning his attention back to Jango Fett, who was watching him closely.

"Then you must know Jedi Master Sifo-Diyas", Obi Wan said and caught a brief glimpse of silver Mandalorian armor. Jango noticed this and spoke to Boba in a different language. _Huttese, if I can recall_ , Obi Wan thought to himself before Jango spoke again.

"Master who?" "Sifo-Diyas. Isn't he the one who hired you for this job?" Obi Wan asked as Jango looked at him in confusion. "Never heard of him."

There was a long pause in the room as Obi Wan looked at Jango curiously. "Curious", he said out loud. "I was recruited by a man called Tyranus on one of the moons of Bogden", Jango told him as Obi Wan's mind was running at a thousand miles.

 _Sifo-Diyas always believed war was coming, it should make sense that he would be involved in this. But who is this Tyranus?_ Obi Wan thought to himself before Jango spoke again. "Do you like your army?" "I look forward to seeing them in action", he replied.

"They'll do their job well. I'll guarantee that", Jango said, looking Obi Wan in the eyes. _There's something about the way he said that. Like he knows something_ , Obi Wan thought.

"Thank you for your time Jango", he said, bowing slightly to the man. "Always a pleasure to meet a Jedi", he said, staring down Obi Wan even as he left the man's apartment.

After reporting what he found to the Council, they instructed him to take Jango into custody and bring him to Coruscant for questioning. _Why do I always get the tough missions_? Obi Wan thought to himself before jogging to Jango's apartment.

From what he could tell back in the apartment, the man was no joke and not to be taken lightly. He was a Mandalorian after all. _Does Satine know about this guy_? He wondered before he reached Jango's apartment. He forced the door open and he stepped inside.

He cursed as both Jango and his son, along with all their possessions, were gone. Obi Wan ran to the window, finding both of them on a nearby platform, loading up their ship.

He ran back out of the apartment, not noticing a clone trooper watch him with interest, and found himself back outside in the pouring rain.

Jango had not heard him enter the platform due to the pouring rain. _Maybe I can get the jump on him…_ Obi Wan thought before Boba noticed him. "Dad! Look!" He shouted pointing at Obi Wan, who groaned in annoyance. _Great. Great. Now I have to fight a Mandalorian,_ he thought as Jango turned around to face him.

"Boba, get on board!" Obi Wan drew his lightsaber and deflected Fett's blaster bolts. He got close enough to swing at him but Fett activated his jetpack and flew away, still shooting his blasters.

Obi Wan rolled on the ground to avoid the blasters and when he came up, Fett had disappeared. He failed to notice Jango's ship starting up and turning towards him. Suddenly, a missile flew towards him and blasted him backwards, losing his lightsaber in the process.

The ship's cannons fired at him and Obi Wan flew backwards again, seeing the younger Boba in the cockpit. He heard Fett's jetpack and as he swooped in, Obi Wan kicked Fett and sent him to the ground, one of his blasters getting loose.

Before he get at Fett, a blaster bolt suddenly set the two apart and Obi Wan saw a lone clone trooper standing near the doors to the platform, holding a rifle.

"CT-6908, at your service sir!" The clone saluted to Obi Wan and fired at Fett, who rocketed away with his jetpack. The clone, CT-6908, fired his rifle and shot a sizzling hole in Fett's jetpack, who came crashing down.

As he did, he unhooked his jetpack and tossed it towards Obi Wan and 6908, who tried to get out of the way. It exploded, sending 6908 and Obi Wan flying away from each other.

It was then that Obi Wan noticed his lightsaber and tried to grab it with the Force. Unfortunately, Jango noticed this and wrapped his arms in tow cable and dragged Obi Wan towards him. He kneed Obi Wan in the face and brought up his blaster to shoot, but Obi Wan kicked him down the side of the platform.

"Oh, not good", Obi Wan muttered before being dragged down with Fett, who stopped his descent with razor blades. Obi Wan kept going before sliding off the edge, with only the cable keeping him afloat in midair.

The cable broke and Obi Wan was sent flying down. But he remained calm in the face of this, unwrapped the cable around his hands, and notched them to a railing above him, which stopped his descent.

Obi Wan waited for a bit, betting that Fett was checking to see if he was dead, then swung outwards towards a nearby door. He then opened it with the Force and ran back up towards the platform, only to see Fett's ship lifting off.

Obi Wan noticed the clone from earlier, 6908, had gotten back up to his feet, dazed from the jetpack's explosion, and was firing at the ship with his rifle. Obi Wan called his lightsaber to him and threw a tracking beacon on the large hull and watched as it took off.

He stared after it for a bit before turning to 6908, who had also turned to face Obi Wan. "Thank you for your help, soldier. I look forward to seeing you on the battlefield" and with that, he turned to head back to his ship.

"Do you think that war is coming soon?" The trooper asked and Obi Wan turned to face him. "With the way things are now, I have no doubt of it."


	9. Change in the Force

_22 BBY_

 _Naboo_

Anakin watched as Padme called him over from where she was sitting.

Padme had decided to take a picnic by several beautiful waterfalls. Anakin had to go with her of course as her guard (not that he was complaining), but he would've thought she would've taken other people as well. But it was just him and her. _Maybe she wants to talk about what happened_ , he thought nervously to himself.

Why in the Force did he have to kiss her? It felt good, Anakin would admit that gladly. But she had pulled away before it had really gone anywhere, which made him feel ashamed.

He had never wanted to make Padme uncomfortable around him; she was his friend. And not only that, he felt like he had betrayed the Jedi by kissing her. All in all, Anakin was very confused about the situation.

He lugged the picnic essentials with him as Padme set up a blanket and he sat down next to her. Anakin sat next to her and they idly chatted for a minute. He asked her a question and she quickly fell silent.

He watched with narrow eyes as she thought about her answer, picking up some flowers and inhaling them. "Well?" He prompted. "I don't know", she brushed off the question. "Sure you do. You just don't want to tell me", Anakin replied, sensing that Padme was lying.

Padme laughed. "Are you going to use one of your Jedi mind tricks on me", she asked. Anakin smirked. "They only work on the weak minded", he replied innocently and Padme laughed again.

"All right", she said. "I was twelve. His name was Palo. We were both in the Legislative Youth Program. He was a few years older than I." Padme snuck a glance at Anakin. "Very cute. Dark curly hair…dreamy eyes…" "All right, I get the picture", Anakin said quickly and a tad exasperatedly.

"Whatever happened to him?" "I went into public service. He went on to become an artist." "Maybe he was the smart one", he said and Padme stared at him. "You really don't like politicians, do you?" she asked.

Anakin shrugged. "I like two or three. But I'm not really sure about one of them", he said which earned a faint smile from Padme. Anakin was very aware of how close the two of them were, which made him nervous. He trailed his hands through the grass to distract himself before resuming their talk. "I don't think the system works", he said finally.

"Really? Well, how would you have it work?" she asked with a bit of sarcasm. "We need a system where the politicians sit down and discuss the problem, agree what's in the best interest of the people and then do it", he replied. "Which is exactly what we do."

Anakin's brow furrowed in confusion. Padme sighed. "The trouble is that people don't always agree. In fact, they hardly ever do." "Then they should be made to." Anakin could tell his words caught Padme off guard for she was silent for a long moment.

"By whom? Who is going to make them?" she asked. "I don't know", Anakin said with a bit of frustration although he was really only teasing the senator. "Someone." "You?" Anakin snorted. "Of course not me", he said. _I really don't like politics anyway,_ he added silently. "But someone." "Someone wise." "Sounds an awful lot like a dictatorship", Padme admitted.

Anakin shrugged letting a mischievous smile cross his face. "Well, if it works…." he trailed waiting to see Padme's reaction. Padme noticed and scowled. "You're making fun of me", she protested. "Oh no. I would be much too frightened to make fun of a senator", Anakin replied before ducking to avoid the piece of fruit she tossed at him and then caught the other pieces as she tossed them at him.

"Besides, you're always so serious", he added juggling the fruit. "I'm so serious"? Padme echoed before tossing more fruit at Anakin who laughed and caught it. Unfortunately, he lost control while he was laughing and had to duck away to avoid the falling fruit. Padme started laughing like crazy and Anakin couldn't help but join in even as he spotted a shaak nearby.

A grin crossed his facial features and he briefly glanced at the laughing senator before he got to his feet and jogged over to the shaak. Leaping onto it, he grabbed hold of it and had to fight to hold on as the shaak, startled by the young Jedi leaping on its back, immediately began running to attempt to get him off.

The shaak ran past Padme who was still laughing as she got to her feet and chased after the shaak Anakin was riding. Anakin had to use the Force to keep himself on the shaak as it attempted to buck him off. He was already starting to lose his grip on the shaak but he had to admit, it was fun even when the shaak was doing everything it could to get him off its back.

Finally, the shaak managed to buck Anakin off and he went sailing to the ground. Feigning unconsciousness, Anakin waited. Padme ran over to his side before kneeling down beside him. "Ani! Ani! Are you all right?" she asked rolling him over.

Anakin couldn't fake his unconsciousness for long and he burst out laughing causing Padme to hit him. "Don't do that", she exclaimed punching him. He caught her hand and pulled her close and she immediately began wrestling with fury.

Anakin, chuckling, rolled over and pinned her down. She stopped struggling and Anakin, blushing as he realized where he was, immediately let go before rolling away. He stood up and stretched out a hand to her feeling very self-conscious. _Jedi sure don't teach us about talking to a girl_ , Anakin thought to himself before his comlink started beeping.

He and Padme shared a concerned look before opening it to reveal a hologram of Luminara Unduli. "Master Luminara", Anakin exclaimed in surprise. "What can I do for you?" "I don't have much time, Padawan, but I thought you would be pleased to know that your mother is now safe. Your nightmares were correct, she was in danger but she's fine now", Luminara explained.

Anakin stared at the hologram in shock. "She was in danger?" he asked her quietly. Luminara nodded. "She had been taken by Tusken Raiders when we arrived".

Anakin's eyes darkened. "But we rescued her and returned her to her family." "Family"? Anakin asked, confused. "She had been bought from Watto by a man named Lars. He married her and they live on a moisture farm."

Anakin started tearing up slightly before regaining his composure in front of Luminara. "Thank you, Master. Thank you so much, with everything I have. I owe you", he said which shook Luminara a bit. She smiled softly at Anakin. "Of course. Anakin." And with that, she disappeared. Anakin cried softly and Padme came over to comfort him.

 _Geonosis_

Sidious frowned as he sensed a change in the Force, a rippling effect that left him lost and the only thing he could pinpoint about it was that it had something to do with young Skywalker.

 _What has he done?_ Sidious wondered before the door to his chamber opened, and Tyranus walked through. "Master, the Force…" "I know Tyranus. I know." Tyranus looked confused, even fearful. "What shall we do Master?"

Sidious scowled in anger. "We continue with our plan. I will be leaving Geonosis soon, apprentice. I sense the Jedi draw near. I will go to our base on Vjun, to prepare for my invasion of Dathomir", he told Tyranus who nodded eagerly.

"I shall host the Confederate leaders here, Master. Jango Fett will also be joining us soon, I imagine." Sidious nodded. "Good. The man is useful. He eliminated Komari Vosa and the Bando Gora for us, he may yet prove even more useful in the coming war."

Sidious stood from where he sat in the darkness. "I will leave now, apprentice. Good luck with the Jedi." He strode away, noticing Dooku bow towards him.

What he didn't tell Dooku, however, was that after he eliminated Talzin and her clan, he would begin searching for Force sensitive individuals throughout the galaxy.

He would start with the Nightbrothers on Dathomir, then he would begin. Sidious already had a lead on Rattatak, he would start there after the invasion. He needed a new apprentice, Dooku was too old.

Despite Skywalker being his end goal, the ripple in the Force worried him. If he could not turn Skywalker, then he would turn others more willing to join the Dark Side.


	10. Emergency Powers

_22 BBY_

 _Geonosis_

Obi Wan sat in his starfighter on the rocky, desert world of Geonosis.

He had just witnessed former Jedi Count Dooku conspire to overthrow the Republic with several leaders of prominent corporations. He shouldn't have been surprised to see Nute Gunray there, even less when he found out that Gunray had been behind the assassination attempts on Senator Amidala.

Obi Wan had also recognized San Hill of the Banking Clan there, as well as Wat Tambor of the Techno Union. But there were several others there that he did not recognize.

He examined his ship, noticing the blast marks from his fight against Jango Fett in space. "The long range transmitter has been knocked out, R4", Obi Wan told his droid, who was waiting patiently in the droid hatch of his ship.

"We should try contacting Anakin. He can retransmit my message to Coruscant", he checked Anakin's location to find that he was still on Naboo. "He's still on Naboo? Good. I half expected him to go running off Force knows where", he muttered to himself.

R4 beeped inquisitively and Obi Wan relayed his instructions to R4, who began transmitting.

 _Coruscant_

Chancellor Vode glanced up from his desk to see the crowded office filled with Jedi and senators. They all stared at the hologram of Obi Wan Kenobi, who had sprung up not too long ago.

"I have tracked the bounty hunter Jango Fett to the droid foundries of Geonosis", Kenobi announced to the shocked room. "The Trade Federation is to take delivery of a droid army here and it is clear that Viceroy Gunray is behind the assassination attempts on Senator Amidala", he said.

"The Commerce Guilds and the Corporate Alliance have both pledged their armies to Count Dooku and are forming a...wait", Kenobi said and Vode shook his head when Kenobi was captured by destroyer droids.

"More happening on Geonosis, I feel, than has been revealed", Yoda said to Mace Windu who nodded in agreement. "I agree."

He turned back to the hologram, who was now showing Anakin Skywalker, who had been no doubt retransmitting Kenobi's message. "Anakin, we will deal with Count Dooku. The most important thing for you is to stay where you are", he addressed Skywalker.

"Protect the Senator at all costs. That is your first priority." Skywalker nodded. "Understood Master." If Vode didn't know any better, he would have guessed that he would go after Kenobi himself.

There was a moment of silence before Bail Organa, who was pacing the floor, spoke. "The Commerce Guilds are preparing for war. There can be no doubt of that." "Count Dooku must have made a treaty with them", Vode said. He heard Senator Ask Aak mumble something about mobilizing the citizen regiments of the Republic Army.

"The citizen regiments aren't ready yet. We may need the clone army but the Senate would never approve the use of clones before a Separatist attack", Organa explained.

"This is a crisis", Mas Amedda exclaimed. "The Senate must vote the Chancellor emergency powers. He could then formally approve the creation of an army."

Vode narrowed his eyes at Amedda. Amedda had been against among those who had been against his appointment as Chancellor since the very beginning. Vode had tried to replace him, but Vice Chairs were not so easy to replace. The weasel had managed to stay in power through four chancellor's terms, including his. _So why all of a sudden does he want emergency powers for me?_ Vode wondered.

"What senator would trust me with emergency powers?" Vode asked the room and there was a short silence. "If only, Senator Amidala were here", Amedda lamented and Vode glanced at him before preparing an emergency session of the Senate.

 _Geonosis_

Twisting slowly in the force field, restrained by cackling bolts of energy, Obi Wan was wondering how the blazes did he get himself into this situation. _So much for Anakin being the reckless one_ , he thought before the door to his cell opened and Count Dooku walked in.

"Traitor", Obi Wan said calmly. "Oh no my friend. This is a mistake, a terrible mistake. They've gone too far, this is madness", Dooku said and Obi Wan had to resist rolling his eyes. "I thought you were the leader here, Dooku."

"This had nothing to do with me I assure you", he deflected. "I will petition immediately to have you set free." Obi Wan doubted Dooku would do anything of the sort, but decided to play along. "Well, I hope it doesn't take too long. I have work to do."

Dooku glanced up at him inquisitively. "May I ask why, a Jedi Knight is all the way out here on Geonosis?" "I've been tracking a bounty hunter named Jango Fett. Do you know him?" Obi Wan asked Dooku. "Well there are no bounty hunters here that I am aware of. The Geonosians don't trust them", Dooku replied. "Well who can blame them? But he is here, I can assure you", Obi Wan said.

"It's a great pity that our paths have never crossed before Obi Wan. Qui Gon always spoke very highly of you", Dooku said and Obi Wan inwardly flinched at the reminder of his dead master.

Even after all these years, the memory of Qui Gon was raw; Obi Wan still remembered crying out in terror as the Sith plunged his blade into Qui Gon, ending his life. "I wish he were still alive", Dooku said quietly and Obi Wan whipped his head around to look at Dooku, who was beside him. _I guess Dooku misses him too_ , Obi Wan thought to himself.

He knew that Dooku had been Qui Gon's master of course. "I could use his help right now." Obi Wan glared at Dooku, insulted. "Qui Gon Jinn would never join you", Obi Wan said. "Don't be so sure, my young Jedi. You forget, that he was once my apprentice, just as you were once his", Dooku confidently said.

"He knew all about the corruption in the Senate. It cost Palpatine his job." Obi Wan frowned at the mention of the former Supreme Chancellor. He remembered that people seemed to be excited for Palpatine; they thought he would bring in change and end the corruption of the Republic.

As far as Obi Wan could remember, Palpatine hadn't done too much politically, but he had been a friend to Anakin during his early years at the Temple. "What does Palpatine have to do with this?" He asked Dooku.

"The Dark Lords of the Sith are alive and well again, my friend", Dooku suddenly said and Obi Wan glanced at him. "We know. There was a master and an apprentice. I killed the apprentice back on Naboo."

He suddenly eyed Dooku with suspicion. "What do you know, Dooku?" Dooku looked at Obi Wan warily. "It's too late for me, Obi Wan. I fear my master seeks to replace me, and I cannot hope to challenge him." He approached Obi Wan eagerly, as if an idea had just formed in his head.

"You must join me, Obi Wan! And together, we will destroy the Sith!" Obi Wan shook his head sadly. "I will never join you, Dooku", he said and Dooku visibly sagged.

He sighed before heading back to the door and turning around to face Obi Wan. "It may be difficult to secure your release" and with that, Dooku left Obi Wan alone with his thoughts.

 _Coruscant_

Chancellor Vode watched the Senators whisper among themselves as the lone Senator brave enough to give him emergency powers raised their pod forward.

"It's clear that the Separatists have made a pact with the Trade Federation. Senators, in response to these direct threats to the Republic, I propose that the Senate immediately give emergency powers to the Supreme Chancellor", Riyo Chuchi of Pantora announced and the Senate muttered amongst themselves.

Vode was surprised; of all the Senators to put this forward, Chuchi was one of the last he'd think of. He smiled sincerely at her and she warmly smiled back at him. "We shall put it to a vote!" Mas Amedda shouted over the rumblings of the Senate and in a few minutes, the votes were in. They actually wanted him to have emergency powers!

Vode was speechless, he thought even his allies might be hesitant to give him power. But the truth was, he needed these powers if he wanted to win this upcoming war with the Separatists. He stood from his podium to address the Senate, who were eyeing him warily.

"Senators, I most humbly accept this tremendous responsibility humbly. I know many of you have your doubts about me, and in all honesty, I cannot blame you. I will need these powers in order to win the war as quickly as I am able. I promise you", he said as the entire Senate started cheering for him, the first time he could recall such a thing happening in his term.

"I promise you, I will do everything in my power to bring victory to the Republic! As my first act with this new authority, I shall formally create the Grand Army of the Republic, comprised of our own citizens and clones from Kamino, to counter the increasing threat of the Separatists", he announced and the Senate erupted into even more cheers.


	11. Begun, The Clone War Has

_22 BBY_

 _Geonosis_

Boba Fett crawled out of his hiding place, the Petranaki Arena all but deserted now, but the bodies of both the Jedi and the battle droids still littered the arena floor.

But he didn't care about any of them. He had to see, had to find him, to believe what he had seen. Boba stepped over the bodies of the Jedi who had rescued their comrades, not caring in the slightest who he stepped over.

He finally came to a stop, finding what he was looking for. Boba walked over to his father's body, its head lying several feet away. He collapsed to his knees, tears streaming down his face as he stared at his father's body.

Boba let out a yell of grief and cried for Jango Fett, the man he owed everything to. But as he cried, he remembered how his father had died; a Jedi with a purple blade had cut off his head.

Boba's grief soon turned to anger and rage; and he looked up from the arena towards the sky, where the Republic gunships had taken the Jedi away. He glared up at the sky, wanting his revenge for his father's death.

"That's not such a good idea", a voice said and Boba quickly turned to see a robed figure looming above him. "What are you talking about", Boba croaked. The figure shook its head.

"Your revenge. You don't think you could take on a Jedi Master by yourself, could you?" Boba glared at the figure. "So what?! My father is dead, I have nowhere to go! I have to do something!"

The figure stared at Boba for a moment. "I was once like you, child. I was consumed by vengeance, a desire to destroy my enemy and anything in my path", the figure said. "Oh yeah? What happened to you?" Boba angrily asked and the figure shifted to show its metal legs and feet.

"My legs, and my destiny, was taken from me. By a Jedi." "So you just gave up?" Boba asked incredulously as the figure chuckled.

"Oh no. When I find him, I will tear his limbs from his body. But my desire for vengeance does not rule my actions. Come with me, and I will show you everything I know", the figure said, reaching its red arm out towards Boba, who looked hesitant to take it.

"My name is Boba Fett. Before I go anywhere with you, I need to know who you are", he said more bravely than he actually felt. The figure lowered its hood and introduced itself.

"My name…..is Darth Maul."

 _Dantooine_

He felt another shift in the Force, but this time, it felt different. Whereas the previous shift had felt positive, this one felt very wrong.

The entire galaxy was falling out of balance, he could tell. War was coming and the galaxy would not be ready for it.

He looked to the sky once more. _My time is approaching_ , he thought to himself. _I will be leaving soon_.

 _Senate Executive Building, Coruscant_

Chancellor Vode rubbed his eyes wearily at his desk. The Battle of Geonosis had occurred only a few hours ago, and with that, the Republic was officially at war with the Confederacy of Independent Systems.

While everyone else was ogling the new clone army, he was now in charge of the Republic's entire war effort. He groaned and laid his head down on his desk in exhaustion.

In the past couple of hours, he had received reports from the Jedi, the clone commanders who had fought at Geonosis, which stated that the droid foundries there had been destroyed. The native Geonosians have been driven into hiding to make sure that they didn't try and reconstruct their foundries. Vode also received reports that Poggle the Lesser's aide, Sun Fac, had died in the battle.

 _At least I have someone to confide to, a friend_ , Vode smiled to himself when he thought of Riyo Chuchi. She had approached him after the emergency session and offered her friendship to him. He had asked why and she replied: "It's lonely being a Senator." Which was something he could wholeheartedly agree with.

But now, he turned his attention to a galaxy map in front of him, and his eyes wandered to the Outer Rim, to a particular planet. _It's not time yet,_ he told himself. _He'll be here soon enough. But not yet_.

 _Jedi Temple, Coruscant_

Ahsoka Tano watched as the former team of 300 entered the Temple, now numbered at around 20. She watched sadly as Padawan Skywalker cradled his arm, one of his hands missing.

Many of the Jedi that had gone to Geonosis carried scars and bruises from the battle, and many that she had seen march off to Geonosis did not come back.

But none had lost what Padawan Skywalker had. _This is gonna be a brutal war, isn't it?_ She thought to herself as she walked with the group, along with all the other Jedi, in a solemn march.

 _Vjun_

"My lord, our forces are mobilized and waiting inside the transports", a droid commander reported in its monotone voice to Darth Sidious at Bast Castle. "Good. Prepare to begin our invasion of Dathomir", he said. "Roger roger."

And with that, the commander marched off to direct the droid units to their transports. Sidious smiled, seeing the thousands of battle droids march off to begin his conquest of the galaxy.

 _This invasion fleet is big enough to conquer three star systems. It should be enough for Talzin's primitive Nightsisters_ , he thought confidently to himself. His transmitter started beeping and he opened it to see Tyranus standing there.

"Master. The Jedi have taken over Geonosis. But the war has begun." Sidious smiled to himself. "Good. The Jedi struck first, I imagine?" Tyranus nodded. "Public opinion will be against them, and we may need to take back Geonosis.

But that is in the future. We must focus on the now." Yes Master", Tyranus faded and Sidious gleefully turned his attention back towards his mobilizing army. _Not everything had proceeded as I had foreseen, but the Plan continues well_ , Sidious thought.

 _Naboo_

Anakin smiled at Padme warmly, and she did the same to him. They stood at an altar in the Lake Country, with a holy man that Padme's family had known for years.

Anakin was slightly sad that there was no one else to witness their marriage, besides C-3P0 and R2-D2. But it was irrelevant now; they could tell no one about their love.

 _Who knows how the Jedi would react. They might exile me too_ , Anakin thought to himself as the holy man finished his speech and asked them both if they would take the other.

They agreed and he pronounced them husband and wife, and Anakin kissed Padme passionately, sealing their love for each other.

 _Unknown Regions_

He watched from the mist of the unknown as the Jedi declared their war against the Sith. The self-proclaimed righteous Jedi, hypocrites at their core; they need to be destroyed in order to balance the Force.

But the Sith were no better; they destroyed everything they touched, like bloodthirsty animals. They would be destroyed as well, he concluded.

 _This is not just about conquering the galaxy_ , Supreme Leader Snoke thought to himself. _This is also about balancing the Force, and becoming its Supreme Ruler_.


	12. Fall of the Nightsisters

_22 BBY_

 _Dathomir_

Sidious stared out the window of his Munificent frigate, at the world of Dathomir. He had been there only once before, long ago. He had met Talzin there where they exchanged dark wisdom with each other.

Sidious had promised to make her his apprentice, but instead had sensed the greater potential of one of her sons, Maul. He stole him away from Talzin, and trained him in the ways of the dark side. _For all the good that did_ , Sidious thought, shaking his head.

He had no doubt that Talzin was furious over his betrayal, and if left unattended, would seek revenge on him. "Sir, you have an incoming message", his droid commander said to him and Sidious nodded at it.

A hologram of his Nightsister ally, Sai Sircu, sprung up. He had recognized the potential of her clan, promising to help rid her of Talzin and in turn, Sircu promised Sidious her forces for the Confederacy. "Sidious, do you approach Dathomir?" She asked him.

"Of course. We shall crush Mother Talzin once and for all, and you shall be ruler of Dathomir", Sidious promised her and she greedily smiled. "As you say, milord. We shall await your arrival" and she blinked out of existence. _Good. She knows her place in all of this_ , he thought to himself before turning to the droid commander.

"Commander, begin the landing sequence. Send out the Hyena Bombers first to soften them up." "Roger roger", the commander replied and he saw his bombers descend towards the surface of Dathomir. _The fools will never see them coming,_ Sidious thought gleefully.

Mother Talzin watched as her daughters celebrated the initiation of a new sister. Karis, her name was. She had fallen from the sky, in pain and running from her former slave masters, who had violated her in the worst way imaginable.

Talzin had offered her a place in her clan, away from the rest of the galaxy. Karis had accepted eagerly, and Talzin could see her embracing her fellow sisters. The sight of this brought a warm smile to Talzin.

But she became sad as she always remembered the lost children of Dathomir when a new sister was initiated.

Those that died defending their home, or those that had been taken from their home, such as Asajj Ventress and the young Nightbrother boy who had become Maul. Ventress had been taken from the clan to protect it, to where, Talzin would never know. She did not even know if Ventress was alive.

But Maul had been bisected by the Jedi and abandoned by his master, Sidious. She scowled as she remembered the man who had promised her glory and power, but instead betrayed her.

Talzin suddenly perked up and heard the whine of starship engines. She looked up to see bombers overhead and she quickly got out of the way of their bombs. The bombs struck the majority of the sisters around their camp fire, sending them flying through the air.

She straightened herself as several sisters brought up their weapons. "Prepare yourselves, sisters! We have invaders that dare to attack us!"

Sidious sat in one of the landing crafts as it descended down towards the surface. "Establish a perimeter and get the droids in attack formation", Sidious told the commander. "We will burn a path through the forest straight to their enclave."

He got up from his seat in the landing craft as it landed and walked outside to see the Confederate army mobilizing. Columns of battle droids marched out of the landing crafts while the MTTs released super battle droids from its hatches. Several AAT tank divisions rolled out beside the droids' formation.

Sidious smiled at the sight and his eyes came across several red clad women with black and white face paint. "Sai Sircu, good to have you with us", Sidious said, greeting the leader of the group. "We can celebrate later. First we have a battle to win", she said before pointing towards the forest. "Make sure your droids burn those cocoons. If left there, Talzin could have an undead army at her disposal."

Sidious nodded and relayed the orders to the droid commander. The droids set flamethrowers onto the cocoons, which melted and dropped dead corpses onto the forest floor. The droids burned those as well.

Talzin could hear the oncoming droids march towards her and the surviving sisters' position. She could only count slightly more than a dozen or so sisters left after the initial bombing, and their weapons were well behind the modern blasters of the droid army.

Blaster fire suddenly interrupted the almost blissful silence and Talzin turned her attention towards the droid army that had now arrived at their fortress. She saw her sisters fire their energy bows at the enemy, but there were too many to count. Talzin erected a glowing shield, comprised of Nightsister magic, which absorbed the incoming blaster fire.

She raised her hands, and green arcs of lightning struck the line of battle droids, bringing them down. She kept going but the more energy she used, the more tired Talzin became. She saw through her shield many of the sisters falling to the incoming blaster fire.

"Quickly sisters! Inside! We are too exposed out here"! She yelled and her sisters quickly complied, running inside their enclave while Talzin kept her shield up outside to cover them. But soon, the blaster fire stopped and Talzin dropped her shield curiously, staring at the droids who had their blasters ready but not firing.

The army parted and soon two people stepped forward whom Talzin never thought she would have the 'fortune' to see again. Darth Sidious strode forward through the army, with no less than Talzin's longtime rival Sai Sircu at his side.

"So Sidious. At last, we meet again. Tell me; is this for revenge or is it personal?" He grinned. "Neither, my dear. This is purely business. I have a war to run, and I can't have any….loose ends lying about", he said which made Sai Sircu let out a little laugh.

"And you, Sai. What business do you have with Sidious?" Sircu glared at Talzin. "You know I have always wanted to destroy you, Mother", she said, glancing at Sidious.

"He has promised me control over Dathomir, over the Nightbrothers, and over your sisters. They shall be my…. personal slaves." Talzin glared at Sircu, who wore a look of satisfaction, even more than she already was.

"Never! I will not let either of you pass me!" Talzin stated and she waved her hands, summoning a flaming green sword and pointed it at Sidious and Sircu, challenging them to face her. "A duel, Talzin? You are no match for the both of us", Sidious said while he and Sircu ignited their lightsabers.

"Even if you beat us, my army will finish the job." Talzin glanced at the droids watching the fight then back at her enclave, with her sisters still inside.

"I will defend Dathomir, and my sisters, to the death!" She declared, and Sidious and Sircu quickly jumped to face her.

Talzin swung at Sircu first, causing the rival Nightsister to lose her balance, and Talzin kicked her aside and swung her blade to meet Sidious' own. She glared at Sidious through the saber lock.

"You betrayed me, Sidious! You used me for your own purposes, just like you did Maul." The mention of his former apprentice brought a sneer to Sidious' face and he forced Talzin away from him.

They clashed their blades, each aiming for the others head. Talzin caught Sidious in another saber lock and noticed Sircu get up from her hard fall and charge Talzin. She brought up her blade to block Sircu's and all of a sudden, Talzin dueled both Sidious and Sircu.

Due to the exhausting nature of her earlier shield, Talzin was mostly on the defensive, trying to keep the two enemies from harming her.

She tried to isolate Sidious again by Force pushing Sircu, but she shrugged it off and charged Talzin again, enraged. The sheer ferocity at which Sircu and Sidious attacked her forced Talzin to her knees and Sidious cut off her sword hand in one stroke.

Talzin screamed, both in pain and desperation that she had lost the battle. She tried to get up, but Sidious held her down through the Force. "This is the end for you, Talzin. Your planet and its people will be ours", Sidious said, slightly out of breath. Talzin glared at him hatefully.

"You will join me in death one day, Sith!" He laughed in amusement. "No Talzin. I will never die", he said and Sidious signaled Sircu.

The last thing Mother Talzin saw was the red sky of Dathomir, and the red blade of Sai Sircu.

Sidious watched as Sircu decapitated Talzin, the witch's body falling to the ground when Sidious released it. Sircu held up Talzin's head triumphantly to her clan, who cheered.

"Now, for the rest of the Talzin's clan", Sircu said and Sidious nodded at her to lead the way. She and her clan lead Sidious and the droids through the enclave to the main area, where Talzin's Nightsisters were behind barricades. At the sight of Talzin's head, many of them gasped and started sobbing in despair.

"Nightsisters!" Sircu shouted, and the survivors looked up from their grief to look at her. "Your Mother is dead, by my hand! If you wish to live, you will surrender and pledge yourselves to me!"

The survivors looked at each other, and Sidious smiled behind Sircu as he sensed their fear, fear of both dying and what lay ahead for them in the future.

Eventually, their need for survival overcame and they lowered their weapons on the ground, chanting: "We pledge ourselves to you, Mother Sai."


	13. Mobilizing

_22 BBY_

 _Dathomir_

Sidious watched as Sai Sircu declared herself Mother of all Dathomir, and making Talzin's Nightsisters her slaves. He withdrew from the enclave, not interested in the details of her conquest.

Through his droid army, he went outside the enclave, where waiting outside was a speeder for him, which Sidious gladly took hold of. He could not have been more satisfied with the results of the invasion; Talzin dead, Sircu and all of Dathomir in his control.

 _Speaking of which_ , he thought as he started the speeder. _It's time to see these Nightbrothers for myself_. Sidious set the speeder on a course for the coordinates Sircu had given him for the Nightbrother village, passing by the rest of the dusty and barren world.

He eventually arrived at the village, to be greeted by hostile stares by one of the Zabrak villagers. "You are not welcome here outsider. You had best leave now before…." The villager never got to finish his sentence before Sidious snapped his neck without even lifting a finger.

The body fell to the ground and the rest of the Zabrak villagers widened their eyes and backed away from him. _Good. They should know true power when they see it_ , Sidious smirked before strolling to the center of the village, addressing the crowd.

"Mother Talzin has fallen! You all are now property of the new mother of Dathomir, Sai Sircu. And she has demanded that you give your Force sensitive warriors to me!" The villagers looked at each other before they all stared at a young, yellow skinned Zabrak, who edged forward, staring at Sidious defiantly.

"And why should I go with you"? The Zabrak asked as Sidious came over. He roughly grabbed the Zabrak's chin without answering, and examined him. _He has no fear of me. He will in due time_ , Sidious thought before sensing his presence in the Force.

With a start, Sidious sensed that this Zabrak before him was the blood brother of his former apprentice, Darth Maul. _Which means that he has much potential._ Sidious turned his attention to the Zabrak, who was watching him curiously.

"What is your name, child?" "Savage Opress." Sidious smiled. "You will come with me child. To learn the ways of the dark side." Savage glanced behind him at his fellow villagers. "And what of them? Will they be spared if I come with you?"

Sidious frowned at the boy. "No one means them harm, young Savage. Sircu will find uses for them, but I assure you she means them no harm", Sidious assured

Savage, who looked thoughtful. "Will…..will I have power?" "Very", Sidious replied and Savage kneeled before Sidious. "Then I pledge myself to you, Master."

 _Coruscant_

Imrok Li stared out the window of the Hammerhead cruiser he was situated in. Coruscant, the jewel of the galaxy, the first ecumenopolis, was slowly coming into view.

The Republic had issued its first draft in over a thousand years, and the transports had quickly come to Glee Anslem to pick up the Nautolan draftees. It pained Imrok to have to leave his old and sick mother behind, but at least he had someone else to look after her.

But as he stared at the approaching planet, Imrok couldn't help but feel afraid for his future. He had never fought in a war before, or even fired a blaster; so how was he supposed to survive this upcoming conflict?

True, he would be fighting alongside other people in the same boat as him, as well as the new, already battle ready, clone army from Kamino. Imrok looked over to the cockpit, where a clone pilot led the ship into orbit of Coruscant.

He was quite skeptical about those clones, who had shown up out of the blue and were expected to be absolutely loyal to the Republic? _I'll believe that when I see it_ , Imrok thought to himself before he noticed that they were now in Coruscant's atmosphere, where he could get a good look at the city.

He had to admit, it was an absolutely beautiful city. Since all Imrok had seen of the galaxy was Glee Anselm, which was mostly ocean and archipelagos, seeing this city was absolutely breathtaking. His mouth was gaping at the massive skyscrapers that littered the cityscape and of how tall they went. Imrok also noticed his fellow Nautolans gaping as much as he was at the enormous city.

"Get ready. We're approaching the drop point", the pilot said and Imrok could see their cruiser approaching a massive military complex, with a large landing platform to accommodate the cruiser. The ship landed with a gentle thud, and even Imrok was impressed on how easily the pilot handled the ancient cruiser.

Soon after they landed, a clone commander came inside the ship. "All right troopers! Stand in single file formation and head towards the complex. On the double!" The Nautolans on the ship quickly got into formation and followed the commander out to the military complex.

Once outside, Imrok could see several other civilian groups also heading towards the giant building. Their commander led them inside, which looked bleak and unforgiving. _Much like this war will be_ , Imrok thought to himself.

They went on for a bit before they stopped outside a training room, where other Republic civilians were shooting at virtual battle droids. "This will be your training grounds!" The commander said, brining Imrok's attention back to him.

"Because we do not have time for you all to be properly trained, you all will be assigned to different divisions, and get at least basic training before you get shipped out. So line up and you will receive your division." They did so and Imrok was placed near the back of the line.

He couldn't help but feel a little nervous on where he would be going. He eventually reached the front of the line, where the commander stared at him.

"Name?" Imrok was silent for a moment. "Come on! Don't know your own name?" The commander snapped and Imrok shook his head. "Imrok Li, sir." The commander rummaged through a set of datapads he was carrying and handed one to him.

"You will be assigned to the 442nd Siege Battalion." _Oh goody_ , Imrok thought sarcastically to himself.

 _Galactic Senate_

Padme Amidala followed her fellow Loyalists to Bail Organa's office, where they were to hold a meeting regarding the war. They arrived and Bail asked if they wanted any refreshments, to which they politely declined. They sat down and Bail began the meeting. "Well my friends, unfortunately, war has come upon the Republic. Have you any news on our strategy?" He asked them.

"I heard that Vode wants to strike at the heart of the Banking Clan on Muunilist", Mon Mothma claimed to the shocked faces of the Senators. "I heard that he was planning an invasion of the Techno Union's headquarters on Skako", One Senator said but Padme had tuned them out.

 _One way or another, my Ani will be shipping out soon_ , she sadly thought, remembering their wedding night which brought a blush to her face. "What do you think, Senator Amidala", Bail asked her and she brought her focus back to the present.

"Honestly? The only news I've heard is that the Separatists were mobilizing on Vjun. I'm not sure what the Chancellor's strategy will be", she honestly admitted. "Either of those moves will be a bold one, and that is why I think we should begin diplomacy with the Confederacy", Bail admitted. Giddean Danu of Kuat, the shipyards of the Republic, scoffed at the notion.

"Really Bail? The war has just begun and you already want to negotiate peace? Where's your spine?" Padme glared at him. "The Chancellor has been receptive to this notion himself, and a quicker end to this war will mean less lives lost, as well as less money spent."

 _Senate Executive Building_

"The Banking Clan has huge factories on Muunilist", Obi Wan explained to Chancellor Vode. "Building huge droid armies and massive warships. We must act quickly!" Chancellor Vode tapped his fingers together as he stared at the three Jedi before him; Obi Wan Kenobi, Yoda, and Anakin Skywalker.

"I agree", he said after a small silence. "I have been planning an invasion there for some time, along with an invasion of Skako. If we could take both out, the biggest benefactors of the Separatists, the Banking Clan and the Techno Union, would be out of the war. But who to send"? He asked them.

"I already have General Dodonna leading the invasion on Skako."

"Lead the assault, Master Obi Wan can", Yoda suggested. "My army is ready, Chancellor", Obi Wan told Vode. "We can leave immediately."

Vode nodded. "Good. Time is of the essence." Before he could adjourn the meeting, Obi Wan spoke up again. "With all due respect Chancellor, I feel we should give my Padawan Anakin special command of our space forces." Vode frowned at this. He did not like giving military command to the Jedi to begin with, but this especially. "I'm not so sure, Master Kenobi. With no offense to you Skywalker, I do not feel comfortable with this decision."

Anakin frowned at the Chancellor before Yoda spoke. "With his Master, a Padawan's place is. But undeniably strong, he has become." "My Padawan has shown remarkable strength, as well as maturity this past year."

Vode considered this before sighing in defeat. "Very well. You may proceed", Vode said, feeling a sense of dread crawl up in him.


	14. The Battle of Muunilinst (Part 1)

_22 BBY_

 _Coruscant_

Anakin walked over to the landing platforms, watching as the V-19 Torrents took off for Muunilinst. He walked beneath them to his customized Delta 7 light interceptor, the _Azure Angel._

He saw R2 and C-3P0 working on some last minute adjustments to his ship. Anakin smiled fondly, no doubt Padme had sent them to help him as much as possible.

Anakin threw off his cloak, which hit and stuck to 3P0 and quickly got into his ship, with his copilot, R4-P22, ready to fly.

He raised his ship off the ground, and headed towards a certain window of a certain Senator's home. He saw his wife stare at him sadly, dressed in a beautiful dress.

Anakin was supposed to be with Padme and have dinner with her that night, but Obi Wan had wanted the army ready to move immediately. He raised his hand at her sadly and she did the same to him.

Anakin closed his eyes in sadness and raced off to join the rest of the fleet.

 _Deep Space_

Obi Wan entered the briefing room, where he watched the clone ARC Troopers fidget a bit in anxiousness and he addressed them.

"ARC Troopers, you have been selected for this task because you are the best, the elite. You all know what to do", he told them seriously and they gave no sign of acknowledgment, only unflinchingly staring back at him.

"The success of your mission is our key to a swift victory. When you get into position, send word as planned. Then, I will join you", Obi Wan concluded and Captain Fordo nodded his assent and Obi Wan left them to discuss the details.

He noticed Anakin working on his modified ship once he reached the hangar bay. Obi Wan made his way over to his young apprentice, and paused once he reached him. Anakin looked back at him and stood to face him.

"Master, why did you recommend to the Chancellor that I be the one to lead our space assault?" Obi Wan smiled softly at him. "Because over the past year, you have shown maturity that I would not have thought possible before. True, you still carry some childish traits with you", he said and Anakin glared at him which caused Obi Wan to chuckle.

"But your skills have never been in question. The decision has been made regardless. May the Force be with you, commander." He told Anakin and left him to ponder his own words.

 _Republic Training Ground, Coruscant_

Imrok ducked from the incoming blaster fire from those blasted virtual battle droids. He joined his clone squadmate behind a barricade which temporarily shielded them.

"You're still here too?" CT-6908, more commonly known as Falco, asked Imrok, who glared at him which caused Falco to burst into laughter. "Everyone else has left. How come you're still here? You're good with blasters", Imrok asked him irritably as Falco fired at droids who had come close to their barricade.

"I'm on probation! I disobeyed orders by firing on Jango Fett on Kamino, so now I get to spend 'extra' time on the simulators!" Imrok groaned in annoyance and fired his new, shiny DC-15S blaster at a battle droid.

Just as the droid clattered to the ground, the other droids shut down, which caused Imrok and Falco to share a confused glance. The doors to their training room swooshed open and their commander, Kelce, walked in. "You two still here? Well, someone ought to tell you that we're shipping out in a couple of days", he said to the delight of Falco and the horror of Imrok. "How come we're not shipping out right away?" Falco asked and Kelce raised an eyebrow. "Sir?"

Kelce grunted. "General Dodonna asked for a few days to mobilize his fleet. Kuat is pumping out Acclamators as fast as it can but it will still take some time to assemble a fleet together", Kelce explained to them. "Get back to your bunks and meet with your squads. We will be going over our battle plan in regards to Skako." And with that, Kelce quickly departed, which left them to their thoughts.

"Finally some action! Come on, lighten up!" Falco said to Imrok, slapping him on the shoulder. "Some fighting will loosen you up, I bet!" Imrok suddenly turned to Falco fearfully.

"I can't go out there! I barely know how to fight!" He said and Falco turned to him.

"Can't help you there, Nautolan. The squad will have your back if you have theirs. You'll need to find some courage to survive."

 _Muunilinst_

Obi Wan Kenobi's fleet of Acclamator assault ships dropped out of hyperspace and above the lush green world of Muunilinst, the headquarters of the Banking Clan. In orbit around the planet were a fleet of Banking Clan gun platforms, poised to defend the planet from any invaders.

Once they noticed the Republic fleet on their long range scanners, Geonosian Nantex starfighters started pouring out of the platforms, heading straight for the Republic fleet. The Republic launched its own fighters out of their ships to meet the enemy, led by their commander, Anakin Skywalker, who was leading the charge.

"All squadrons to me", he commanded, and incredibly soon, the void of space above the peaceful world was filled with laser cannon fire and starfighters on both sides firing at each other.

As the Republic and CIS fighters engaged each other, the assault ships started releasing hundreds of LAAT gunships down to the planet's surface. Since the enemy fighters were preoccupied with the Republic's fighters, the gunships had no trouble making their way through the planet's clouds.

The gunships skirted low to the surface and opened their doors to reveal the waiting Republic clone troopers, as well as General Kenobi. Obi Wan raised his comlink to speak into it. "ARC Troopers, deploy", he commanded, staring at a blue painted gunship. "Yes sir", he heard in reply and he saw the gunship split off from the main group.

He refocused on the terrain ahead of him and the planet's capital city of Harnaidan quickly came into view. But as the gunships advanced towards the capital, anti-air missiles came spiraling towards the invasion force.

"Evasive action"! Obi Wan yelled but it was really unnecessary, as the clone pilots had been well trained. The gunships quickly dodged the oncoming missiles and soon landed on the grassy turf before the capital.

 _Well, here goes nothing. May the Force be with us_ , Obi Wan thought gloomily before he jumped out of his gunships and joined his men in attacking the droid army.

Meanwhile, in a relatively quiet section of the capital city, one lone LAAT gunship made its way through the quiet streets, weaving through the incredibly tall buildings. Everyone on board was silent, and were calmly waiting for their drop to begin.

But, a lone battle droid quickly made its way through one of the buildings to the top, where it witnessed the gunship fly by. "Roger roger", it said as it hoisted a missile launcher to its shoulder and fired at the gunship. The droid's aim was true and it hit the gunship in its engines, and with the explosion forcing it crashing to the ground.

Everyone inside the gunship was still silent, even as the pilot saw the ground rapidly approaching him. The gunship skidded across the ground, with one of its wings falling off and the other one getting crushed beneath the gunship's frame. It finally came to a halt in the middle of a deserted intersection, its engines still one fire.

Captain Fordo raised his head above the wreckage to see if the area was clear, and gestured his hand for everyone to get out. The ARC Troopers jumped out behind the wreckage, with Fordo having one of his pistols out. He inspected around the wreckage to again see if there were any hostiles in the area.

He detected none and gestured for his men to move forward. Fordo gestured one of his men to go to the front of the wreckage to see if the pilots were still alive. The trooper obliged and shook his head when he found no evidence of survivors. Suddenly, the air was filled with sniper fire and one of his ARC Troopers fell to the enemy fire. Fordo quickly ordered his men back to the wreckage, where there was some semblance of cover.

He looked around but couldn't see where the snipers were located, so with another gesture, he ordered two men to cover while another scanned the buildings to find the snipers. They did so and the scanning trooper quickly went back to Fordo and pointed where the snipers were held up.

Fordo gestured and one of his lieutenants to bring forth their missile launcher. He did so and fired at the snipers, with the enemy fire quickly becoming far fewer. When Fordo's trooper was done, he scanned the buildings himself and finally gestured the squad to begin moving out.

He and his men made their way through the quiet streets, with the occasional noise from the far away battle breaking the silence. Fordo suddenly tensed up, hearing a familiar sound and gestured for his men to stop. He gestured again for firing formations and brought out one of his pistols. Just as he suspected, an AAT tank came through their street and fired at them.

He and his men quickly ducked and Fordo gestured for one of his men to get behind it. The trooper did so, got inside the tank, and quickly blew it up. They started moving out again and Fordo threw up a scanning device and quickly found his target in the giant CIS cannon on the base of a tower. _Most likely the clankers' command center_ , Fordo wryly thought to himself before scanning the cannon, seeing plenty of battle droids manning it.

He brought out his communicator and a hologram of General Kenobi sprung up. "General Kenobi, target sighted", he informed the general. "Very good Captain. Proceed with the next phase." _This is where the fun begins_ , Fordo thought to himself.

Once he and his squad took care of the battle droids protecting the cannon, he gestured for his men to start laying their bombs onto the cannon. They did so quickly, and threw their tow cables onto the top of the tower and quickly scaled up just as the cannon exploded.

Fordo and his squad then began to await the rendezvous with their general.

 _Rattatak_

Sidious' shuttle dropped out of hyperspace, and Darth Sidious got a good look at the rocky, dusty planet. The planet itself meant nothing to him, but there was someone there who was strong with the Force, but they eluded him, as if they knew he was coming.

He had come to this planet to search for this person, but Sidious had no desire to comb the entire planet for this person. _Perhaps the gladiator pits are a good place to start_ , he thought. Even from orbit, he could sense the death and bloodshed being spilled in the planet's most popular arena, the Cauldron, which made him smile in delight.

His ship descended towards the arena and landed outside on a rocky mesa. Sidious got out of his ship and a blue aide of some sort made his way over. " _Welcome to our humble arena, most illustrious client"_ , the aide said in Rattataki. "Indeed", Sidious replied and the aide led him through to a viewing room, where he got a good look at all of the gladiators.

 _Impressive_ , he thought. _But none of these are who I am looking for_. " _I trust you will find what you seek_ ", the aide said again and Sidious sat down and watched the fights. Although he was preoccupied with the presence coming up from behind him and the aide, Sidious still enjoyed the bloodshed.

The aide suddenly disappeared and a cloaked figure sat next to Sidious, as if they had been there the entire time. "Impressive. You mask your presence well", he said to the figure.

"Flawless timing, perfect control, you have great skill at infiltration. While infiltration is a necessary trait I am looking for, you must be able to fight as well. Perhaps a demonstration"? Sidious suggested to the cloaked figure, who spared him a glance before jumping down into the arena.

The figure landed, and soon discarded its cloak to reveal a pale Rattataki woman. Sidious watched as she destroyed her opponents, using creative uses of the Force to dominate them. _She is most impressive_ , Sidious thought to himself as she brought down the arena's rocks down onto the charging gladiators. One of the bigger ones showed itself and it forced her to bring out her dual blue and green colored lightsabers.

She charged at it and quickly killed it, and the gladiator toppled to the ground. Sidious rose to his feet and applauded her, to which she crossed her lightsabers and bowed to him. _Good. She already knows her place_ , he thought before speaking.

"You are more powerful than I had sensed." "The dark side is strong in me", she spoke. "For I am Sith." Sidious frowned at her. _Perhaps a lesson, then?_

Sidious floated down from where he had watched her and landed softly in front of her. "You wear the trappings of the Sith, you fight like the Sith, but these things can be imitated, young one", he said to her. He could sense her growing anger, much to his delight, but he continued on nevertheless.

"You lack control over your fear. Sith have fear yes, but we control ours to suit our needs." "You are a foolish old man who knows nothing of the dark side", she claimed as she ignited her lightsabers. Sidious laughed at her. "Perhaps child. Perhaps."

He could sense her approaching and quickly spun around and shot his Force lightning at her, which caused her great agony and she dropped her sabers in pain.

Sidious laughed as he shot torrents of lightning at her, enjoying watching her writhe in pain. He relented after a while after she blacked out from the pain. _One more lesson for her and then, her test_.

Asajj Ventress awoke in her bed, feeling confused as the last thing she remembered was the arena. She quickly shot up and stared around her chambers, not sensing anybody. She slowly got to her feet, wincing in pain from the Force lightning that the man had shot at her.

 _How does one acquire such power? I must find him again_ , Ventress thought to herself as she spotted her former master's lightsabers. She started towards them until she heard the hiss of a lightsaber being ignited.

She quickly jumped up in the air when she felt the man swing his lightsaber towards her. Ventress reach out with the Force and grabbed her sabers, igniting them as she faced this man who sought her out. She swung and locked her blades with his.

"Truly, if you were Sith, would this not fight not be over already", he asked her and she angrily pushed him back. But he quickly Force grabbed her sabers, sliced them in half to Ventress' shock and horror before being roughly Force pushed back up against one of the walls of her chambers.

She raised herself before the man brought his saber to her neck. "It would not be so easy to defeat a Sith", he lectured her and Ventress glared at him. "So finish it", she dared him and the man shook his head ruefully. "No child. If I had any intent on killing you, I would have done so back in the arena." He said and brought his free hand to her.

Ventress hesitated before grabbing it and he helped her up to her feet. "You are a promising disciple young one. You shall serve the Sith well", he declared and she bowed to him. "What is your bidding master?" "A Jedi named Anakin Skywalker. You will find him for me. And eliminate him", he said and Ventress snorted in disgust.

"Jedi. Their order is a fading light in the dark. Corrupt and arrogant, they must be punished. The Jedi shall fall!" She declared vehemently, hating them for what they did to her former master. "Consider this a gift", her new master said and she turned to see him gift her two new curved lightsabers.

She examined one and ignited it, bringing forth a red blade. _This shall do nicely_ , she thought.

Sidious watched her take off from the planet, not really expecting her to kill Skywalker.

But she was talented, she could test him to see if he would strike her down in his anger. If he perished, then no consequence to Sidious, though he did hope she would have the good sense to survive.

He had uses for her after all.


	15. The Battle of Muunilinst (Part 2)

_22 BBY_

 _Muunilinst_

The empty city of Harnaidan echoed with the sounds of blaster fire. The battle for control of the planet has reached a fever pitch, with the Republic relentlessly advancing past the enemy.

The Separatists droids were quickly being demolished and once a cluster of them had been destroyed, the Republic brought in their Self Propelled Heavy Artillery (SPHA) and began their barrage. The firepower of the artillery was so great that entire buildings were reduced to rubble in a matter of seconds. The battle droids had no chance, and were vaporized in seconds.

The SPHA cannons shot several shots into the air, near the Banking Clan's command center.

While inside the tower that housed several members of the Banking Clan, including one San Hill, there was chaos as they panicked about the Republic's assault. The Gen'Dai bounty hunter, Durge, quietly watched as the weasels debated amongst themselves about what to do.

 _I better be paid well for this_ , Durge thought to himself as he watched the small holograms of the Republic troops decimating Hill's droids. He scowled underneath his mask as he noticed the Republic troopers advancing in the hologram, all clones of Jango Fett. _Damn Mandalorians_ , he thought to himself angrily.

When Count Dooku had approached him and asked him to join his Separatists, Durge had been intrigued to say the least. But when Dooku said that he would be able to kill the clone of Jango Fett, he had accepted the Count's offer without hesitation, wanting any opportunity to kill Mandalorians.

"Those guns are destroying our forward positions. The Republic is breaking through"! Durge heard San Hill whine before the whole room shook, and he could hear a distant explosion. He saw the Muuns look at each other in confusion before one reported: "Sir, our cannon at the base of the tower has been destroyed." "Their range is greater than we thought!" "It must be their artillery!"

The voices of the many Muuns caused San Hill visible anger and confusion as he shook his head. "What are we going to do? What are we going to do?" He said to himself before he turned to look at Durge, who had been quiet during the entire exchange. "I don't know why Dooku sent you here if all you're going to stand-" Hill never finished his sentence before Durge grabbed him by the throat. "I…I mean whenever you're ready", Hill managed to choke out before Durge released him.

He knew that he was to lead the IG Lancer droids in combat, but Durge knew they needed to do better. "Pull your forces back. Order them to follow my squadron", he said in his raspy, metallic voice and he saw out of the corner of his eyes that Hill warily nodded at him.

Durge made his way towards his squadron of lancer droids, walking past them on their speeder bikes. He got on his own speeder as one of the droids handed him his own lancer. Durge grabbed it and led his squadron out of the tower's hangar and towards the Republic.

As he sped through the ruined city, Durge noticed that the majority of the battle droids were waiting outside the main battle, no doubt waiting for his attack. He nodded at them before his speeder and the other lancers reached the main battle.

Durge noticed the Separatist AATs covering the main forces retreat and when one was destroyed in front of him, Durge and his squadron emerged from the smoke to the confused glances of the Republic clones.

He and his squadron quickly tore through the Republic line, killing the clones and destroying their AT-TEs. Durge sped towards one of the tanks and struck his lance into it, making it explode.

He noticed his squadron running their lances into the clones so fast that they went flying through the air. And Durge loved every minute of the slaughter.

He saw blaster fire hitting the ground next to him and he turned his head and noticed one of the clones firing at him from the ruins. Durge quickly fired his pistol at the trooper, barely paying attention to him.

Durge and his squadron arrived at the Republic's artillery, which was still firing at the droids. The squadron lowered their lances and charged the SPHA tanks. Durge skimmed the side of one of the cannons, causing it to explode.

The rest of the squadron destroyed the rest of the tanks, either with their lances or using thermal detonators. Once the rest of the artillery had been destroyed, Durge raised his lance in triumph. _Now time for the command center_.

Meanwhile, above the planet, Anakin Skywalker led the Republic forces against the Separatist defenses. He grinned as he chased down the Separatist Nantex fighters across one of the Banking Clan's gun platforms. He chased them through the trenches of the gun platform, managing to keep up with their speed.

They tried to shake him off by weaving through the small towers on the gun platform but they could not. Anakin grinned as he finally caught them in a straight path and destroyed the two fighters.

"We lost Gold leader", he heard one of his pilots announce. "Enemy reinforcements are coming in at .35", the pilot said. "Clear out Gold Two, I'm coming in", Anakin announced as he angled his ship towards Gold Squadron. "R4, switch all power to forward shields", he ordered and the little droid beeped an affirmative.

The huge squadron of fighters in front of him started firing at him, but Anakin wasn't worried about that. He grinned as he spun his fighter in a quick circle and fired both his missiles and laser cannons. The squadron was decimated to a few fighters, which caused a cocky grin to spread on Anakin's face.

The remaining fighters followed him up to a gun platform where they released a barrage of laser fire at him. With a simple twist of his control stick, he raised up behind the fighters and easily destroyed them. _This is too easy,_ he thought gleefully.

Anakin started looking for more targets and he noticed the Acclamators firing at the gun platforms, taking many of them by storm.

"Wait, what's that?" He heard one of the pilots say before Anakin saw all of Blue Squadron get destroyed. "Commander, we just lost Blue Squadron! A rogue fighter has-" a pilot said before Anakin cut him off. "I see him", he said, narrowing his eyes at a rare fighter, a Ginivex class Starfighter.

"Don't attack it. This one's mine", he ordered and he quickly accelerated and gave chase to the fighter. Anakin started firing his weapons at the ship, which returned fire and started heading towards him. Anakin narrowed his eyes in concentration before they both sped past each other.

He turned his ship around and started firing again, but the other ship evaded his fire expertly. Anakin narrowed his eyes before flying straight towards the ship, causing it to spiral away. "Gotcha", he said to himself.

But he failed to notice the ship quickly turned itself around and grazed his ship. He glared at the ship and angrily gave chase to it. The ship finally came into Anakin's sights which made him smile eagerly. "I have you now", he said and fired his ship's guns at the ship but it only accelerated past the lasers.

"Increase power to the thrusters, R4!" Anakin barked at the droid. "This is no droid pilot", he muttered to himself angrily. _He thinks he can outfly me? We'll see about that_. Anakin accelerated his ship to follow the other pilot, forgetting entirely about the battle above, who was leading Anakin down to the planet.

The ship kept avoiding his targeting system, which only made Anakin angrier. "Come on", he muttered to himself. The other ship flew low to the streets, so Anakin, fed up with this pilot who was outmaneuvering him, wildly fired his guns at the empty buildings, missing the fighter.

He growled angrily and fired again, barely missing the gathering Republic ground troops on the surface. Including… "Anakin"! Obi Wan called out in his comlink. "It's under control Master", Anakin growled before firing again, not noticing Obi Wan get out of the way of his fire. "You're supposed to be in space leading our forces!" Obi Wan shouted.

"It's under control", Anakin again said, feeling very annoyed at Obi Wan at the moment. "Under control? I don't think so! Your place is with your squadrons young one! Not-" Obi Wan was cut off as Anakin and the fighter flew past. "Not chasing one ship through the city streets!"

"Master, this is no droid pilot. And the Force is with him! I can't let him get away!" He heard Obi Wan groan on the comlink. "Anakin, I don't have time to deal with your disobedience! The enemy is counterattacking us and I must-" Obi Wan was cut off by the sound of explosions and Anakin quickly shut off his communicator, following the other ship into space.

R4 suddenly beeped. "Jumping into hyperspace? You have his coordinates?" He asked and R4 beeped in the affirmative. "Then plug them in! He's not losing us!" Anakin barely registered the battle still commencing over Muunilinst, as his focus was completely on the other ship, which had jumped into hyperspace.

Anakin quickly followed, not once thinking about Obi Wan or the battle above.

 _Yavin 4_

Asajj Ventress waited and watched as the young fool Skywalker landed close by her ship and started searching for her. _What an arrogant Jedi_ , she thought before she smiled at how well her plan worked.

Her new master had told her that Skywalker was one of, if not the best pilots in the galaxy, and she had used that to her advantage. Drawing him away from the battle had been surprisingly easy, and even now she could sense the bounty hunter routing the Republic forces, driving them away from Muunilinst.

 _All too easy_ , she smirked before quickly regaining her focus on the young Jedi. She waited before he disappeared into the trees before planting a thermal detonator onto his ship, noting the astro droid's frantic beeping. No doubt it was alerting Skywalker to her and she could sense him running towards his ship.

"R4!" She heard him shout before she ignited the ship in flames. _Now's my cue_. Ventress walked through the fire of Skywalker's ship to face him, noting his glare on her. _Good. Anger is good._

"I'm going to make you pay for what you've done", Skywalker growled at her and Ventress chuckled. "Come Padawan. Your fall will be my ascension to the Sith", she told him, igniting her twin crimson lightsabers. Skywalker ignited his own blue saber and she grinned in response. _Finally, a challenge_ , and with that, she leaped into combat.

The two combatants exchanged swings with their sabers, each trying to catch the other off guard. Anakin swung wildly and Ventress pushed him up against a tree with the Force. He jumped out of the way of her sabers, which brought the whole tree toppling to the ground. Anakin, in turn, pushed her back and she quickly sent branches at him.

Anakin quickly sliced through them all, only to be caught blindsided by one in the back. He recovered, and they swung their sabers again at each other, before Anakin knocked one of her sabers to the ground. Ventress tried to fight lock his saber but her other saber was knocked away.

Retreating, she jumped into the trees, taking her sabers with her. Anakin followed, but the branch he stood on was crushed with the Force and he fell to another, with Ventress following him. Growing annoyed, he raised his saber to his face and glared at her. Anakin chased Ventress through the vines and branches of the jungle, before they fell lower to the ground on top of another enormous tree branch. Anakin swung at Ventress multiple times, each time met with her sabers. She flipped over him and swung at his head and Anakin ducked her saber.

Ventress Force pushed him out of the jungle and in the ruins of a temple, where she jumped away from him and onto higher ground. Anakin ran after her, but was pelted with stones and fell from the temple, where he was pushed across the ground.

Angrily, Anakin got to his feet and glared at Ventress, who calmly stared back at him, just as a thunder storm rolled in. It soon started raining on the both of them, but neither flinched nor looked away from each other. The rain intensified and caused their sabers to spark. But both still stood still, waiting to see what the other would do.

Anakin glared at Ventress the whole time and before she could react, he jumped up to her position and attacked. She blocked as best she could but Anakin kicked her in the face and sent out a strong Force push which sent her flying into a cavern. Anakin followed her into the darkness and quietly made his way across puddles of water along with water dripping from the cavern ceiling. He stopped for a second before he blocked Ventress' blade and continued the fight.

Anakin Force pushed water into her face and Ventress retreated by jumping high onto a set of temple stairs. She threw a stone column at him but he repelled them back towards her. Ventress threw the column off of her and tried to Force push Anakin. Instead, he shrugged it off and more of his tunic ripped off and he replied with a Force push of his own which sent Ventress flying through the temple's wall.

She landed close to the edge of the temple, with the jungle beneath her, and avoided Anakin's blade. Anakin kept swinging at her and she had no time to counter his attacks and quickly brought the fight up to the top of the temple, where the red gas giant of Yavin illuminated them.

Ventress knocked his blade out of his hands and tried to strike him down. But Anakin caught both of her hands and used his metal hand to crush hers and Ventress dropped the blade in pain.

Anakin grabbed her blade and angrily attacked her. His attacks brought her to her knees and without thinking, Anakin kept bringing his blade down ferociously, until the weak structure of the temple collapsed, and Ventress fell into a chasm.

Anakin stared down at where she had fallen before letting out a yell of rage and eventually threw her saber down into the chasm as well.

 _Deep Space_

Obi Wan sat in the medical bay of one of the Acclamators that had survived the onslaught of Separatist ships. Reinforcements from Scipio had arrived and without their commander, the naval fleet was in disarray.

Obi Wan had been lucky to escape Durge and the Banking Clan's counter attack, but he had come out of it with some scars across his chest. Worst of all, he still had no idea where Anakin had gone to. _I hope he's all right_ , he thought to himself before his comlink beeped.

"This is Kenobi. Go ahead." "General", said one of Obi Wan's most trusted clone captains, Cody. "We've identified an unknown vessel approaching us. It hailed us and claimed to be Commander Skywalker. Should we let it in?"

Obi Wan's eyes widened in surprise before responding. "Yes. And send him to me in the med bay." "Right away sir." Obi Wan only had to wait a few moments before Anakin walked into the medical bay, with most of his tunic ripped off and looking disheveled.

When he spotted Obi Wan, he lowered his head. "I'm sorry Master. It was a trap, laid out by the Sith. And I ran headlong into it."

But Obi Wan was not in the mood. He stood quickly, startling both the medical droid attending him and Anakin. "Do you have any idea of what you've done Padawan!? You abandoned your post as commander and chased some lowly ship through the streets, nearly killing me in the process! Because of you, we lost!"

Anakin was shaken by Obi Wan's yelling and raised his head to look at him. "We lost….because of me?"

"Yes. You will have much to explain to the Chancellor when we return to Coruscant." He warned and Anakin let what Obi Wan said sink in.

 _Because of me, we lost_.


	16. Fallout

_Senate Executive Building, Coruscant_

Supreme Chancellor Armitage Vode rubbed his eyes wearily as he sat in his lonely office in the moonlight of Coruscant. He had just gotten the report from General Kenobi about the battle on Muunilinst.

Vode angrily slammed his fist on the desk. _I never should have put Jedi in charge_ , Vode thought to himself as he reread the report for at least the 50th time.

He had been skeptical after the Battle of Geonosis about putting Jedi in military positions of power. After all, they were religious diplomats essentially and they would have had no understanding of strategy or warfare!

Vode had many candidates who had graduated from the Republic Navy War College on Anaxes who would be better suited to lead the Republic army. He also knew several prominent leaders who were busy setting up defenses for their worlds in anticipation of Separatist invasion.

Vode had invested in shield generators and turbolaser towers for high income producing worlds, such as Malastare, Kessel, and Corellia to name a few.

As of now, all Vode knew was that the Separatists were heading for Dathomir for some reason. _Nothing there but fog and witches_ , Vode recalled.

His official communicator suddenly sprung open and a hologram of his aide, who had decided to stay in late with him, appeared. "Sorry to disturb you sir, but Senator Chuchi is here to see you." Vode rubbed his eyes wearily. "Did she say what she wanted?" The aide shook his head. "No, Chancellor. She only said that she needed to see you." Vode sighed. "Send her in."

The hologram of his aide disappeared and the door to his office opened and Riyo Chuchi stepped inside and stared at him.

"Chancellor, what are you doing up at this absurd hour?" Vode smiled sincerely at her. "Riyo, you can dispense with the pleasantries. Why are _**you**_ here?" He grinned at her as Chuchi blushed at him. She brought forward a bag of food which caused Vode to burst out laughing. "You brought me dinner?" "Of course. I figured you could use some company. And some food", she said before setting the greasy bag of food from Dexter's Diner onto the clean surface of his desk.

But Vode paid no mind to that little detail. He had his aide bring up a spare chair for her to sit in and they ate their food together in a comfortable silence.

"I must admit, Riyo, when I first met you, I thought you were playing me for a fool. That you had some grand scheme or plan to get rid of me." Chuchi raised one of her eyebrows at him. "Some scheme? The only thing I was trying to do was be your friend."

He frowned and looked over at her and saw her looking upset. "My friend? There's plenty of other senators friendlier than me." Chuchi shook her head. "The other senators I know are my allies, not my friends. You've been kind to me, helped me grow out of my shell. I owe you, Chancellor Vode."

"Call me Armitage", he told her and Chuchi smiled at him. "I'm sorry, for my distrust, I just….I haven't had a real friend since…." He trailed off and Chuchi patiently waited for him to finish.

"…..my brother", Vode muttered and Chuchi looked confused. "You have a brother?" "I used to. I don't even know if he's alive anymore", Vode admitted and Chuchi scooted closer to him. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

Vode shut his eyes, tears threatening to spill from them. He angrily wiped his eyes and let out a deep sigh. "Yeah. No one does." "Tell me about him", Chuchi said and Vode turned to look at her confused.

After a long moment of both lonely politicians staring each other down, Vode sighed. "All right. I suppose if anybody should know, it's you." He paused for a moment, trying to find the right words to say. "Jaden was my little brother, born when I was 8 years old. He was my only friend."

"Why's that?" Chuchi asked him. "I was never good at making any friends, especially when Jaden….left. He was very young when he did so", Vode sadly said.

Chuchi got up from her seat to give Vode a hug, which made him rigid and stiff. Chuchi refused to let go of him and Vode eventually returned the hug, albeit somewhat awkwardly.

"Tell me more about him." And he did. The two sat together in the office of the Chancellor, both forgetting about how late it was, or the reports from Muunilinst.

 _Jedi Temple, Coruscant_

The Jedi Council sat quietly as the hologram of Obi Wan Kenobi finished his recount of the battle. "Most troubling, is this defeat by the Banking Clan", Yoda stated and most of the Council nodded their heads in agreement.

"Whatever Skywalker did to disobey orders", Mace Windu began. "Was not fully to blame, Obi Wan. Might I remind you that your command post was overrun by the lancer droids, as well as that bounty hunter." Obi Wan sighed and nodded his head in agreement. "So it would seem, Master Windu. Regardless, the Chancellor is hoping to have a word with Anakin when we arrive back on Coruscant."

"A right to be angry, the Chancellor does not", Yoda said. "Young and inexperienced, Skywalker is. But beat a Sith assassin he did, on Yavin?" Obi Wan nodded. "Yes, he claimed that the assassin lured him away from the battle. He claims he defeated this assassin on the forest moon of Yavin, and he stole their ship as proof."

The Council was silent for a long time, digesting this. "Passed the Trial of Skill, he has", Yoda quietly said to the silent chambers and everyone stared at him. "You really believe he is ready to be a Knight?" Mace Windu asked Yoda who nodded.

"Passed the Trial of Courage, he did by braving the Clone Wars. The Trial of Flesh, he passed, through the loss of his hand to Count Dooku", Yoda reminded the Council and Obi Wan flinched at the reminder of how Anakin lost his hand.

"But he still must pass the Trial of Spirit", Even Piell said and Yoda shook his head. "Face that Trial, many years later, do Jedi. Facing the mirror, not an easy Trial that is." Yoda said before turning his attention to Obi Wan, who was watching curiously.

"What do you think, Master Kenobi?" Obi Wan sighed. "I can't say, Master Yoda. I'm not sure if he's ready myself. I know he is shaken by what he has done, so perhaps this will be a good thing for him", Obi Wan suggested and Yoda nodded.

"Decide we shall, when you return to Coruscant."

 _Korriban_

Darth Sidious watched from his new castle's balcony as new apprentice, Savage Opress, dueled the one who had arrived recently and pledged herself to him in the main courtyard.

Sev'rance Tann, a Chiss who hailed from the Unknown Regions. Sidious had always been mildly curious about that area of the galaxy. Tann had come to him on Korriban and offered her powers to be in his service, claiming to be on the run from the 'supreme one'.

He accepted of course; she was powerful in the Force and he could always use another acolyte. Before leaving Dathomir, Sidious had ordered Savage to kill his brother, the one named Feral. Opress had resisted at first, of course, but relented when he remembered Sidious' promise of power.

He had all of the acolytes prove themselves in some way, and Tann had been ordered to exterminate a traitor general in the Confederacy. Sidious still awaited Ventress' return, after sending her to destroy Skywalker.

He hoped she would've at least sparked the fire of anger inside of Skywalker, since he did not expect her to be victorious against him. At least, not yet.

Sidious looked up from his balcony to see his shuttle landing at the landing pad. He calmly walked to the pad to see medical droids rushing out a stretcher, on which was a bloody and broken Asajj Ventress.

"What happened to her?" Sidious asked one of the droids. "She fell from a great height master, and her spine is broken. We must hurry if we are to make sure she survives."

"Master…."Ventress muttered as the stretcher carrying her went past him. _Amazing. She's still semiconscious_ , Sidious thought to himself gleefully and followed the medical droids to his castle's medbay.

When they arrived, the droids began sorting through equipment to begin the procedure. Sidious calmly put his hand on Ventress' forehead and summoned the dark side of the Force to keep her alive.

 _Dantooine_

The Exile's eyes shot open, his eyes registering the empty ruins of the ancient Jedi Enclave he had been meditating in for several hours.

He quickly rose to his feet, hearing the whine of a ship's engines descending near his location. The lightsaber located on the floor next to him quickly shot into his hands and the Exile ran towards the noise.

As he ran through the ruined halls of the Enclave, he looked up at the sky and saw a YV-666 light freighter making a landing near where he was. _I always did love ships_ , the Exile briefly thought to himself, earning a rugged smile before making his way to the landing zone of the freighter.

The ship landed and a group of red clad mercenaries stepped out. He grinned. _This should be fun_.

The Exile walked out of cover in plain view of the mercenaries and ignited his green double bladed lightsaber. They spotted him and did a double take as well as stepping away from him. "If you want to live, I suggest you get away from that ship. I'll be taking that", he told them confidently.

The mercenaries looked at each other in disbelief before one shot a stun net and the Exile was hit. He dropped the saber, and flopped on the ground like a fish, still being shocked by the net.

As he shook, he didn't notice the mercenaries take him onto their ship or that they set him down on a cot. The freighter took off from Dantooine and the Exile never even noticed before he fell into unconsciousness.


	17. The Rise of Skywalker

_Coruscant_

Anakin nervously stood next to Obi Wan and watched as their shuttle descended into the atmosphere of Coruscant. He noticed Obi Wan out of the corner of his eye also watching in stony silence. The two of them have been tense ever since Anakin had run off from Muunilinst to confront the dark assassin.

 _I never figured out who she was_ , Anakin idly thought. Indeed, the assassin he faced on Yavin IV was a source of great mystery to him. Throughout their fight, he had felt a strong presence of the dark side within her, to the point where it distracted him at times.

"The Council wishes to see you", Obi Wan's words brought Anakin out of his thoughts and he turned to look at Obi Wan.

"But master, I was told I had to meet the Chancellor first." Obi Wan returned his gaze.

"The Council takes priority over the Chancellor", was all Obi Wan said before the shuttle starting the landing process on the Jedi Temple's platform.

Anakin shut his eyes in pain as the bright atmosphere of Coruscant hit him as he stepped off the shuttle. He and Obi Wan made their way towards the Council chamber, pausing every now and then to greet their fellow they arrived, Anakin made to go in but Obi Wan stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. Anakin looked back confused.

"Master?" Obi Wan visibly sighed. "Anakin, I know things have been tense between us. But I just want you to know, no matter what happens, I will stand by you. You are my Padawan, my son in all but name."

Anakin looked at Obi Wan with tears in his eyes. "Master I…." He was about to say before the doors to the Council opened. Anakin looked back at Obi Wan, who smiled at him and encouraged him to go stepped into the Council chambers, which were completely darkened.

Anakin was about to say something when lightsabers all ignited at once, revealing hooded figures standing in a circle around him. Anakin's face lit up, knowing what would happen next and turned to look at Obi Wan, who smiled back at him.

"Step forward, Padawan", a voice said and Anakin turned to see Yoda with his lightsaber pointed downwards. He kneeled before Yoda who stared at him for a moment. "Anakin Skywalker, by the right of the Council, by the will of the Force, dub thee I do. Jedi-" In the blink of an eye, Yoda swung his saber and cut off Anakin's Padawan braid. "-Knight of the Republic."

* * *

The Exile slowly opened his eyes, groaning as he sat upright from his downed position on the floor. He groaned and stiffened when he realized his hands were in stuncuffs. "Blast it", he muttered to himself. He had hoped that he would've been able to steal the mercenaries' ship when it landed on Dantooine but instead he had failed miserably. _Where am I anyways?_ He idly wondered as he gazed around the dirty, windowless room.

He could hear low chatter through the walls and caught word that they were worried about the Jedi scumbag. _Probably assuming that means me_ , he thought to himself. But he hadn't even been a Jedi for a long time. He shook his head, clearing out the old memories that threatened to return. Instead, he sat down on the cold, metal floor and stared at the door.

He was afraid of what might happen if he tried to close his eyes. Every time he did, visions of the future would assault his mind and drive him crazy, ever since he had been exiled. At the very least, it made him unable to sleep. The ship buckled and the Exile shook briefly before the ship settled again. _I hope wherever they're taking me at least has some decent food_ , he thought to himself.

* * *

 _Senate Executive Building_

Vode was livid. He stood before the hologram of Yoda in his office, where the old master patiently watched him.

"So, if I understand this correctly, you not only punished Skywalker for his insubordination but promoted him to a Jedi Knight!?"

Yoda's blue head nodded calmly, which made Vode's desire to punch him increase. "Indeed. Defeated a Sith assassin, young Skywalker did, on the fourth moon of Yavin…"

"Save it old man!" Vode angrily yelled at the hologram. "He and Kenobi cost us Muunilinst!"

"Proved his bravery, young Skywalker did", Yoda continued as if he didn't hear Vode at all. "I don't care about his bravery! He disobeyed direct orders from his superior officer! And you go behind my back an make him a Jedi Knight, which automatically makes him a general in the Army!?"

Yoda frowned. "Know the cost of war, you do not boy." Vode narrowed his eyes at the old Jedi Master. "I know more than you ever will, Jedi", he said coldly. Yoda continued to stare at him.

Before he could say anything more, the door to Vode's office opened and a red clad mercenary stepped in.

Vode widened his eyes and quickly shut off the hologram of Yoda. He knew that there would be consequences to that, but if what he thought was true was happening now, then the Jedi could wait. The mercenary bowed briefly to the Chancellor.

"Boss, your sources were good. We found him right where you said he would be", the mercenary said in a raspy voice. "Where is he?" Vode interjected. "We have him in an old place called the Works." "Good. Keep him there and don't let him out of your sight! I'll be going to see him tonight", Vode said. The mercenary nodded and left Vode to his ruminations.

 _Author's note: Thank you all for your patience! I found this chapter hard to write and I had a lot going on in my personal life. So hopefully I'll be able to focus more on this story!_


	18. The Return

_Tatooine_

The twin suns of Tatooine cast the planet in incredibly hot weather. The temperature would normally be well over 100, and about 90 on a cooler day. For residents of the blazing world, this was normality for them but for visitors, they instantly despised the planet. Such were the thoughts of one young Boba Fett as he followed his guide through the busy streets of Mos Eisley.

His guide, a tall Zabrak who had introduced himself as Maul, had helped Boba bury his father in the similar deserts of Geonosis, and helped him escape the Republic occupation of Geonosis. Normally, Boba would have been loath to trust anyone, let alone a stranger.

But normality had been shot out the window when his father had been decapitated by the Jedi. The image had been burned into Boba's brain and he could ignore the heat of Tatooine for a moment to focus on the face of the Jedi who had taken his father away from him.

"Focus, young Fett." Maul's voice cut through his thoughts and Boba returned to the sweltering heat of the planet.

"Where are we going anyways?" He asked Maul.

"To a safe warehouse I've had for some time", Maul replied and they arrived at an old, worn down building.

Maul entered a passcode and the door opened and he gestured for Boba to follow him. They entered a dark and dusty room and Maul gestured for Boba to sit and he did so, looking up at Maul with expectant eyes.

"Okay, so we're here now. Why did you bring me here?"

Maul turned to look at Boba.

"You are at an interesting crossroads, young Fett. You are the only true son of Jango Fett, a well-connected man."

Boba furrowed his eyebrows together, thinking.

"He was the best bounty hunter in the galaxy, of course he was well connected!"

Maul shook his head.

"You misunderstand me. I do not mean your father's bounty hunter connections. Your father was a Mandalorian, one of the last true warriors before they became Death Watch."

"Death Watch?" Boba asked, despite himself. He couldn't help but be interested in the history that Maul was teaching him.

"Yes, the Death Watch. The last remaining group of Mandalorian warriors. They oppose the new pacifist Mandalorians that rule Mandalore presently", Maul explained.

"They hide rather than fight and that brings great shame and dishonor upon the name of Fett."

Boba frowned. "So, my father was part of Death Watch?"

Maul chuckled and shook his head.

"No my dear boy. On the contrary, he was on the opposite side, and killed their leader, Tor Viszla. But he was well respected amongst all honorable warriors, even the Death Watch."

"And what connections does my father have?" Maul smiled.

"If you so wished, young Fett, you could take over the Death Watch yourself." Boba stared at Maul, not comprehending what he said.

"I don't understand. How would I do that? And how do you even know all of this?"

"I have studied a great many subjects, young Fett. And to answer your other question, by right of combat, you may challenge their leader in single combat and if you win, you will become their new leader."

"But I don't want to be their leader", Boba growled and Maul frowned.

"I want revenge for my father's death!" Boba yelled angrily and Maul regarded him with a cold stare.

"I see. I understand how you feel, but you must see reason…"

"Why should I listen to you?! I don't even know you!" Boba told Maul, standing up to face him.

"Because if you blindly go off of your rage and try to attack your Jedi, you will fail!" Maul yelled and Boba fell silent, unable to counter that.

"Believe me, boy, I know exactly how you feel!" Boba glared at him.

"Oh yeah? What happened to you?"

Maul tore his gaze away from Boba and stared into space.

"My future was taken from me", he muttered sadly. "The Jedi, took my legs from me", Maul said, gesturing to his cybernetic lower half. "And my future as apprentice to the most powerful being in the galaxy."

"How did you survive?" Boba asked.

"I held onto my rage, it consumed me when I was in exile and when I escaped, I sought to learn more about the Jedi who bested me. Instead of blindly giving into my rage and pursuing him, I controlled my rage instead of it controlling me, which reaped rewards for me."

"You'd rather wait and let him live instead of rightfully reaping justice?"

Maul nodded. "If I rushed off to face him, I would be beaten. Besides, there is something, or someone, else that calls to me….something familiar. But regardless, because I strived to learn about him, I learned his name was Obi Wan Kenobi."

Boba bristled at that. "Obi Wan Kenobi? I met him before! He came to my home on Kamino to speak with my father."

Maul looked surprised. "Really? We shall have to compare notes at a later time. But take heed of what I said. You have much to gain if you challenge Death Watch. Including the means to your revenge."

"What do you mean?" Boba suspiciously asked. "The Death Watch, despite being at its lowest point, has many assassins and access to many resources that could aid you."

Boba looked at Maul before turning to look at the dusty walls of the warehouse. All his life, Boba had looked up to his father, and had always wanted to be a bounty hunter just like him. Jango had told Boba some of his exploits as a bounty hunter, such as the time he had hunted the dangerous Komari Vosa. But now Jango Fett was gone, and Boba knew he had little else to turn to. Besides, Maul had been helpful to him. Without him, Boba would never have escaped Geonosis. He turned back to face Maul, with a new fire in his eye.

"Let's do it!"

* * *

" _The lost one has been found", the insane oracle muttered to himself. He had a dark hood over his face, surrounded in darkness, and sat huddled in a corner. "The lost one has been found…." he muttered softly again. The darkness that surrounded him moved, revealing it to be a giant shadow cast over him. "What else?" A soft but emanating voice asked and the oracle scooted further into the corner. "No! Can say no more! Revealed too much already…" He was cut off as he was lifted off the ground, clutching his throat. "Tell me…" the voice demanded firmly. "Everything."_

* * *

The Exile shot upright from the cold floor, cursing himself for allowing sleep to overcome him. _What even was that?_ He wondered to himself. He had seen the enormous shadow from time to time, each time as discerning as the last.

He shook his head and looked down on the floor where he had carved several tallies. _This should be easy enough_ , he thought to himself before closing his eyes in concentration and reached out to the Force. He extended his hand towards the tallies and turned it counterclockwise. When he opened his eyes, the tallies were gone. He smiled and turned his hand clockwise, watching as the tallies reappeared in greater numbers.

But he suddenly frowned when he sensed a somewhat familiar presence approaching him. _No….it can't be!_ The Exile thought in horror. He had not sensed a presence that familiar since his very early childhood days. There was only one person it could be. And that terrified the Exile.

* * *

 _The Works, Coruscant_

Vode idly watched the deserted Coruscant scenery pass him by in his Lambda shuttle, but his mind was racing. The mercenaries he had hired were regular hands for him, and Vode had no doubt that they did their job. But he had no idea what to expect from what he had been told of the boy, the Exile.

His shuttle landed and Vode exited, only to see a welcoming party waiting for him. More than a dozen of his personal guards, each wearing green uniforms with stripes up their arms and a symbolic circle emblazoned on their chest, awaited him. Each wore matching helmets, very similar to the Sith acolytes of the Old Republic era, armed with their own specialty weapons. Vode knew each and every one of them, and knew that every one of them would never betray him.

After all, they all owed him their lives.

He nodded to them and they started following him to a side chamber next to the main hangar. More of the red clad mercenaries stood guard around a stairwell. When they saw him coming, they straightened up and Vode walked down into a darkened storage cellar. He stopped when he saw the cage, and the person inside stood up and faced him. Vode stared at the young boy, whom he recalled being a young baby the last time he had seen him.

He had a beard that covered his face, which was surprisingly handsome for someone who was missing for more than half a decade. His brown hair covered some of his eyes, which were a startling green, and he wore a simple farmer's robe.

"Jaden?" Vode croaked out and the boy inside tilted his head.

"Armitage?" The boy's voice was dry and raspy, as if he hadn't used it in days.

"Yes! It's me, brother!" Vode started to tear up and walked towards the boy.

"It's really you!" Vode exclaimed gleefully, while the Exile, Jaden Vode, watched him carefully.

"Armitage. So you're real? I was told I had a brother…" He trailed off and Vode looked at him.

"You didn't even know if I was real?"

Jaden shook his head. "The Jedi…..they told me of my family. Back on Ukio."

Vode nodded eagerly. "Yes! Our parents were farmers there! We lived happily together…"

"Until the Jedi came", Jaden interrupted and Vode slowly nodded.

"Yes….they came and took you away to their Temple" Vode spat angrily.

"We never saw you again. The last time I saw you, you were a small baby Jaden."

"Where are our parents? I want to see them", Jaden interjected and Vode sighed.

"When the Jedi took you, our parents lost it. They turned to drugs and they never stopped. But never mind that. Where have you been this whole time?"

Jaden sadly lowered his gaze to the floor. "I was exiled, by the Jedi. They thought I murdered one of their council members, Yarael Poof."

"And did you?" Vode asked curiously.

"Of course not!" Jaden yelled.

"Someone framed me! They were going to send me to the Citadel, on Lola Sayu, but our ship was hit by raiders and crashed on Dantooine. That's where I was for the last 6 years."

Vode wiped his eyes. "I'm glad I got you out of there."

Jaden narrowed his eyes at his brother. "Wait, so you sent those mercenaries to Dantooine?"

Vode nodded. "I did. I wasn't sure if you were even alive, but I heard rumors of a boy who spent his days in the ruins of the Jedi Enclave. I brought you here."

"Now what? What am I supposed to do now, brother?" Vode sighed.

"Unfortunately, it's too risky to bring you out of this cage. The Jedi might try to use you against me."

Jaden's eyes widened in anger. "What? You rescued me from one prison only to put me in another!?"

"It's for your own good!" Vode snapped and Jaden glared at him.

"No! I won't be your prisoner!" Vode shook his head and walked away.

"Don't leave me here brother!" Jaden yelled desperately and it took all of Vode's willpower to keep walking without looking back.


	19. Padawan

_Hypori_

Admiral Dao winced as another Acclamator met its destruction at the hands of the Separatist blockade over Hypori.

He had received discreet orders direct from the Jedi Council themselves, though Dao personally wondered if they knew what they actually knew what they were doing. They had ordered him and his relatively small fleet to run a suicide mission for a covert rescue of seven Jedi that were trapped deep in Separatist space, on a droid foundry planet no less. If it were up to him, Dao would have told them to screw themselves and go to Corellian hell.

But he knew his place, and told them that he would depart as soon as possible. What he had not expected were the ARC Troopers, under Captain Fordo's command, to be the ones actually descending to the surface. That had been a pleasant surprise. Though as Dao looked on through the windows of the bridge of his flagship, the _Courageous,_ he could tell that his fleet was doing much more damage to the Separatists than he expected.

When his fleet emerged from hyperspace, Dao had sent out his bombers to strike key points on the Separatist warships, such as the shield generators and engines. Vulture droids had tried to stop them, but the Torrent fighters had defended them and managed to clear a path for Fordo's gunship. His strategy had been brutally effective, leaving the Munificent frigates sitting ducks for his Acclamators to take care of.

But even still, there were loads more frigates orbiting the planet, and Dao only had so many ships. Time was running out.

 _Where are those blasted ships?!_

"Sir, Captain Fordo's gunship is approaching from the surface", one of the officers reported and Dao narrowed his gaze on an approaching gunship.

Dao marched over to a comm and quickly brought up his fighter squadrons.

"Yellow Leader, tell your men to cover Captain Fordo and his gunship as they make their approach!" Yellow Leader replied in the affirmative and Dao looked over the viewport and saw all fighters converge on Fordo's gunship.

"When all fighters and the Captain's gunship get onboard, jump us into hyperspace", Dao ordered of his crew and they nodded in understanding. He soon received confirmation that they had all fighters onboard and Dao and his fleet were soon racing through hyperspace. He almost collapsed to the floor in relief. _I can't believe we pulled that off_. He wandered over through the cheering crew over to the comm and a hologram of Captain Fordo appeared.

"What is the status of the survivors, Captain?" Dao asked.

"Survivor. Only Master Secura is still alive", Fordo quickly corrected and Dao paled considerably.

"By the stars…. You mean to tell me out of seven Jedi, only one survived?! What the blazes happened down there!?"

* * *

 _Skako_

Imrok ducked from oncoming laser fire, only barely able to see the battle droids through the smog of the city. The siege of Skako had been intense only a few hours earlier. The fleet of one General Dodonna had broken through the tough Separatist defenses surrounding the planet.

Dodonna then ordered that a planetary bombardment be commenced and while that wiped out most of the groundside Techno Union resistance, as well as many civilian sectors. Imrok was not comfortable with that notion at first, but when the remaining citizens started firing on him, started shooting at him, he quickly changed his mind. His helmet registered that there were only a few battle droids left on the landing platform he was on.

Imrok suddenly heard a yell and he saw one of his fellow green marked clone troopers, Falco he assumed, charged the rest of the droids and clobbered them to pieces with the body of his rifle.

"Wahoooo!" He heard Falco shout and Imrok sighed before getting up from his position behind a downed hover car.

"Was that really necessary?" He asked as Falco kicked the droids off the platform.

"Well, if I had left it up to you, we'd be here all day", Falco replied cheekily.

Before Imrok could retort, both of their comlinks beeped.

"This Commander Kelce. CT-6908 and Private Li, give me an update on the southeast sector!"

Falco raised his comlink to his helmet.

"Southeast sector is clear."

"Copy that. Return to the command center at once."

They both replied in the affirmative and quickly ran to their speeders parked at the other side of their platform. They both got on and raced through the foggy war torn cityscape of the former Techno Union homeworld. Imrok tried not to glance at the ruined buildings or the downed Republic gunships as he and Falco raced past them.

 _I suppose I better get used to this_ , Imrok thought to himself as the Republic's makeshift command center came into view. Surrounded in the air by gunships, on the ground by AT-TEs, the command center was formerly a Techno Union storage unit. It was deserted by the time the Republic got on the ground.

Falco and Imrok made their way inside, passing by many fellow 442nd troopers, as well as civilian troopers that had accompanied them. Imrok noticed that they seemed to be in an oddly good, perhaps even cheerful mood. They found Commander Kelce conferring with several troopers before he caught sight of them.

"Well boys, looks like this invasion was a success! Skako is ours for the taking!" He turned to look at one of his officers, who was standing nearby.

"Any word on Wat Tambor?"

"No sir. Records indicate that he was offworld long before we arrived." Kelce cursed under his breath.

"Any ideas on where he went?"

The officer thought for a minute before replying; "His ship's records indicated that he was heading towards the Outer Rim."

"Well we'll find him eventually. He can't hide from the Republic forever."

Kelce turned towards Imrok and Falco. "You two, go set up the communications center. The Chancellor will want to know about our victory here."

* * *

 _The Works, Coruscant_

Jaden pounded on the metal bars of his cage, calling out his brother's name in vain. No one came down to see him, and Jaden could sense his brother's Force signature quickly depart from wherever he was imprisoned.

"Somebody! Please!" He shouted one last time before slumping onto the floor of his cage.

Jaden had been cautiously optimistic about seeing his brother again, as he had never known Armitage to begin with. The news about their parents alone almost brought Jaden to tears and despair, but for some reason, a presence far away had soothed him. It was that presence now that kept him from panicking.

Jaden sat in a meditative cross, closed his eyes, and focused on the Force. He could sense the mercenaries above him, patrolling the hangar bay. He could also sense several speeders in the hangar. Jaden could also see glimpses of his nightmares through the Force, with the strange, giant shadow looming over the galaxy.

He shuddered before returning his focus to the mercenaries above him. Jaden noticed a shelf full of scrap metals with a mercenary standing right underneath it. He smirked and sent the shelf tumbling down, slamming hard into the mercenary and knocking him unconscious.

He sensed the others rushing to his aide while one of them looking towards where Jaden was. The lone mercenary ran downstairs and Jaden opened his eyes and quickly retreated to the dark corner of the cage. The mercenary peered into the cage and before he could react, Jaden leapt out of the darkness and Force pulled him into the metal bars of the cage.

He yelled in pain and Jaden pulled him again and again into the bars until the mercenary was unconscious. He lifted the key card for the cell from the mercenary with the Force and easily unlocked his cell. Jaden walked towards the body of the mercenary and noticed blood slowly flowing from the mercenary's head.

He knelt down and checked for a pulse, which was there, but faint. He felt a flash of regret before burying it down with anger. _They imprisoned me here. Why should I feel sorry for them_? Jaden angrily thought before nimbly rushing up the steps to the main hangar.

He watched as the mercenaries were preoccupied with making sure that their comrade was getting proper medical treatment. Jaden took a deep breath and quickly rushed across the hangar to the speeder bikes. Jaden reached one of the bikes and while climbing on, he noticed his lightsaber hanging off of one of the mercenaries' backs. He grabbed it with the Force, drawing the attention of the rest of the group.

Jaden heard at least one of them shout his name before he turned on the speeder and raced off from the hangar. As Jaden emerged from the hangar, he was blinded by the sun and he covered his eyes. When he opened them, he saw himself surrounded on all sides by towering skyscrapers. _Is this…..Corsucant?_ He wondered to himself. _Certainly no part I've ever been to._

Before he could think on it further, Jaden heard a whining noise and turned around to see the mercenaries racing towards him on their own speeder bikes. He quickly urged his speeder on towards the skyline of the rest of Coruscant. Jaden wasn't sure if he could get away from his brother's gang, so he headed to the one place he knew they wouldn't follow him.

And the one place he dreaded to go back to.

 _Jedi Temple, Coruscant_

14 year old Ahsoka Tano watched her fellow younglings converse with each other in the mess hall of the Jedi Temple.

She idly noticed that there were not many Masters or Knights in the mess hall. _Probably out fighting the war_ , Ahsoka sadly pondered. She used to enjoy chatting with the various Masters that would sit next to her and she loved hearing their wisdom and stories of their adventures.

But now she felt lonelier than ever, since the other younglings didn't like looking at her or talking to her. If Ahsoka didn't know any better, she would've thought that they were afraid of her.

She felt a slight sensation on her wrist and glanced at her comm suddenly, and soon enough it started beeping.

"This is Ahsoka."

"Youngling Tano, need you in the meditation chambers, we do", the voice of Master Yoda said.

"On my way", she replied and quickly rose from her seat.

While ignoring the quick glances of her fellow younglings, Ahsoka worried about what had just happened. She had known her comm would go off before it actually did. It made her nervous, as she also had strange dreams at night, and Ahsoka often wondered whether she should bring them to the attention of Yoda. Before she could ponder this further, the Council meditation chambers materialized in front of her and she knocked on the door.

The door opened and she stepped inside to see Master Yoda staring at her.

"Hello, young Ahsoka. Sit, you must", he said, gesturing to one of the seats. She nervously sat down, tapping her knee with her fingers as Yoda quietly watched her.

"Be patient, you must young one", Yoda idly commented and Ahsoka quickly ceased her tapping.

"I'm sorry Master", she quickly apologized, only to be surprised to hear Yoda chuckle.

"Control your patience, you must young one. But be sorry for your impatience, do not be. Called for a reason, I did. Sending you to Christophsis, I am young one", he said.

Ahsoka stared for a moment, not comprehending what he said.

"C..Ch...Christophsis, Master? Isn't that a war zone at the moment?" She timidly asked.

"Need Masters Kenobi and Skywalker, we do. Need them for a vital mission, we do. But cut off, they have been", Yoda explained to her. Ahsoka quickly filled in the blanks.

"So you want me to send a message to them"? She guessed and Yoda nodded his head, pleased with her deduction.

"But why send me? There are other Knights at the Temple more suited to this. I'm just a youngling", she stated sadly.

"Because, being assigned to Master Skywalker as a Padawan, you are young one."

Ahsoka stared at Master Yoda for a long moment.

"Are…are you joking, Master?"

"Joking, I am not, Padawan Tano."

She sank into the cushiony seat, completely in shock. _I'm assigned….to the Chosen One?_ She wondered to herself.

Anakin Skywalker was subject to many rumors and controversy in the Temple, ever since he was admitted into the Order at 9 years old. She had rarely taken the rumors for granted but had never actually spoken to the man. He was famous for dueling Count Dooku and losing his hand, to which some said Skywalker was turning into a machine.

She didn't care. To be assigned to him, and to be a Padawan in general, had Ahsoka very excited. And scared.

"Questions, you must have. But first, go to Christophsis, you must", Yoda's voice broke through her thoughts.

"Rendezvous with Admiral Yularen, you will. Need you, Master Skywalker does."

Ahsoka digested all this and rose from her seat.

"Thank you Master. I won't let you down." "Know this, I already do", he said and with a wave of his hand, Ahsoka swiftly left the meditation chamber and fast walked through the Temple, relishing her new status as a Padawan.

"I can't believe I'm a Padawan…." Ahsoka muttered to herself as she arrived at the Temple's hangar.

She spotted a platoon of civilian troopers waiting near a _Consular class_ cruiser and made her way over there. When she arrived, the leader stepped forward.

"Are you Ahsoka Tano, ma'am?" She nodded.

"Yep, that's me." The leader then stepped back into place and there was an awkward silence as Ahsoka just stared at them in confusion. She realized after a moment that they were waiting for orders.

"Oh! Right! Uh, let's get going."

The platoon saluted and walked her up the ramp that led into the ship. _Guess I just issued my first orders_. Ahsoka wrapped her arms around herself and as she was preoccupied with her thoughts, she failed to notice a figure dart up the ramp just as it closed behind her.

 _Author's Note: Thank you all so much for your continued patience and support for this story! I assure you: this story is not dead in the least! This will be continued!_


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